Akatsuki
by moonlit mage
Summary: Revision complete. Continuation of Oyasumi Nasai, Hitomi is struggling with Dilandau and unstable emotions. Can Dilandau actually win her over or is this a doomed relationship from the start?
1. Realization

**A/N**: So, I'm rewriting the chapters up so far, because going through them I found myself wondering just how I managed to post the chapters with them being so empty and pathetic. Hitomi was totally out of character, and sorta still is right now, but as you read hopefully you'll begin picking up on things…

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Escaflowne. It is the sole property of its creators and its publishers. Kthx, you jerks…

* * *

A pained whimper filled the room as the occupant began to stir. Sleep, the beautiful haze that had drifted over her dreamless mind, was leaving her much too quickly; a sure sign that something was wrong. Hitomi struggled to sort the sudden flurry of thoughts flowing through her mind at warp speed. She couldn't remember much, if really anything, of what had happened to land her with a splitting headache and a painful throbbing on her right cheek. Slowly, as her mind started merging with her body again she realized, after a few failed attempts at shifting her uncomfortable body, that her hands were tied behind her back; she was also, much to her dismay, in a rather uncomfortable position on an equally uncomfortable bed.

Tearing her eyes open her heart began to beat faster and her breath came quicker as she began to panic. The ceiling…the walls…the blue flame lamp by her bed…

This was **not **her room at the castle!

Closing her eyes, and blocking out the throbbing pain in her shoulder from its poor position, she tried to find the misplaced memories, finally summoning them a few moments later after replaying her day. Things clicked into place quickly after that and she let out a quiet sob, tears welling up and spilling out of her already swollen eyes.

Van had failed to rescue her.

A simple thought, and really she couldn't figure out why it was so important that he hadn't been able to save her from her own folly. She couldn't expect him to save her every time, she reasoned through the panic surging within her; it was her own feet that brought her to this position. After all, she'd been the one that had strayed out of bounds at the castle…

Still, regardless of the knowledge, brought forth thanks to a collapse of mental process, she felt that fear and terror. What would happen to her? Why had Van not rescued her? Any fight against the mad Dilandau, she was certain, would be nowhere near a true classification of 'fair' so, surely, Dilandau must've cheated, right?

'What's going to happen to me…?' She thought quietly, swallowing faintly and trying to calm herself. Her body was shaking and her heart hammering. She was experiencing a panic attack and she was certain she deserved it. What kind of stupid thought prompted her to run outside when the danger was still present? What kind of stupid, childish thought did she suffer from in her lapse of sanity that she even _dreamed_ for a _moment_ that Dilandau, blood thirsty destroyer, would ever be some good knight?

She started a second after a deep, shaky breath, tears fogging her vision before dripping down to the mattress or over the bridge of her nose. Outside the metal door she could hear the faint sound of clicking, the sound of boots walking calmly in her direction, getting louder and louder until what little light that was cast into the dark room from the barred square in the door was covered. Whoever was looking in at her wasn't Dilandau, she knew that much, but the second pair of clicking boots had a strange swagger to it, sounding more laid back and less stiff and formal, and she had a feeling she knew who it was.

The door opened and Hitomi hid her face, trying to get rid of the tears and make sure no one knew she had been crying again. The first person walked in and when she peeked an eye open she realized he was much taller than Dilandau…his shoulders were much broader, lacking the ridiculous shoulder pads or armor, or whatever they were, the Dragonslayers wore. Whoever this man was, she was certain he was of higher position than the red eyed devil.

He also had a strange hair cut, much like the singer/actor David Bowie from the movie 'The Labyrinth'. Interesting enough to catch her attention for just a moment, not interesting enough to hold it too long.

"Dilandau…what have you done?" The voice asked and Hitomi shivered faintly. There was something suppressed in his words and voice; he seemed teetering on the edge of losing his temper and she wasn't sure what would happen. He was, however, older sounding, so he seemed to know how to reign in his temper.

"Why, Folken, I'm surprised! I brought the girl from the Mystic Moon; she is no longer a threat to our purpose…" Dilandau responded, speaking a truth laced in sarcasm and sick, twisted humor.

"Don't lie to me, Dilandau," Folken muttered, casting a glance back to the silhouette in the doorway. "You shouldn't have abused her like this," he continued, walking over to her and leaning down, taking her face in his hand gently. "Why didn't you clean this out properly? It could get infected."

"The bitch would deserve it, after the pain she put me through," Dilandau hissed and Hitomi winced again; the strange tone in his voice scared her.

Folken merely sighed and leaned over her, undoing the rope around her arms and helping her to sit up so he could see the full extent of the damage done to the young female before him. A gentle hand tilted her head this way and that by her chin, narrowed eyes, barely illuminated by the poor lighting, took stock of the damage done to her quickly in a well practiced sweep.

"You can't keep her, Dilandau," he finally said. The tension that followed was incredible, even to Hitomi. She swore she could feel the electricity buzzing through the air, even in her panicked state.

Dilandau was _not _happy.

"What do you mean by "You can't keep her"?" He replied quietly, leaving signs of danger flashing in Hitomi's mind like the vibrant colors of poisonous snakes.

What an apt thought. Dilandau seemed quite comparable to a pit of poisonous snakes: pretty to look at but once you fall in, you're doomed. She mentally shook the thoughts from her head, incapable of figuring out what would slip past her lips and what would remain in her head. She wasn't going to take even the slightest chance that he would react like a viper.

"I won't allow you to keep this woman as your personal pet. You know the rules, Dilandau, regardless of how many times you like to break them; you will **not **break this one." Folken was stern and unbreakable in his refusal; he wasn't going to bend for anyone, especially not when her safety was at stake. She wasn't sure why, but he seemed quite intent on keeping her out of Dilandau's clutches. Whether it was for her own safety, or as a manner of keeping Dilandau collared, however, remained to be seen.

"And just what will you do with her then?" Dilandau growled, stepping closer so Hitomi could see the horrid glare gracing the young male's handsome visage.

"I believe the Dilate is ready for battle use…I'll send her there for…_safe keeping_," Folken offered calmly, holding out his hand for Hitomi to take. "Until then she will remain under constant supervision."

Hitom, already terrified of Dilandau, found the look on his face to be positively lethal. Shaking slightly, she looked between the two males, heart beating erratically in her chest as she swallowed a wave of nervousness. She'd daydreamed about him, about a devil, so often! What kind of fool was she? In the predicament she had gotten herself into, she would give her left arm just to go back and stop herself from thinking so much of him, to stop herself from behaving so foolishly!

Yet that was impossible, she knew, and she quickly took Folken's hand deciding that, for now, he was indeed the lesser of two evils. Her stomach constricted painfully, before letting her know that she was hungry with a painful, sort of gurgling emptiness that usually accompanied the feeling of being ill. She was sure that, the moment she was alone, she would be vomiting.

"We'll get you cleaned up, Hitomi," Folken began, his deep voice comforting her slightly, "and then we'll get you fed." She was sure if she would trust food put on a plate by anyone on the floating fortress.

"Folken…" Dilandau started, eyebrow twitching in aggravation as he watched Folken usher the female out.

"Don't bother arguing, Dilandau," Folken warned, slightly uncharacteristically, Dilandau noted, and then began leading Hitomi away.

It wasn't like she'd be going all that far, Dilandau knew, and even the guards around here weren't as honor bound as one would hope…

So where would Folken put the girl?

A single thought in his mind nearly caused him to yell various profanities at Folken's retreating back: Folken would be guarding the girl _himself!_


	2. Comfort

**A/N**: A second chapter edited and whatnot. I, personally, don't believe I was addressing Hitomi's mental…ah, how should I put it? Distress?...properly the first time around. The next few chapters you should start seeing a greater difference in her mental stability and the progressive ups and downs that come with it.

I'm not bothering to put a disclaimer in every damn chapter: see chapter one if you have issues with it.

* * *

Surprisingly, the halls of the Vione were rather warm, despite the darkness and the metal around them. She assumed, from her memories of how the levi-stones worked, that heat came from the heating of the stones to keep them actively afloat. This kind of thought, cool and precise, staved off a panic attack that would've had her on the ground. Out of the room, and away from Dilandau, she felt less claustrophobic, less caged like some kind of dinner prey, and more like a human. A prisoner being escorted to a new cell, but still, a human.

The clicking of Folken's boots was the only sound, aside from the dull and quiet thumping of her own sneakers, and even though she knew the Vione to be filled with various soldiers she saw none of them. She was keeping an eye out for them, after all, as she walked down the halls with her arms around herself. The sheer size of the halls they were going through left her feeling rather dwarfed and wondering if, maybe, there were melefs down here too. It would make sense, unlike everything else that was going on around her.

"You must be distraught, especially after the way you came to be here," Folken started, stunning her for a second. He led her further and further away from the devil in her prison cell with an even, but quick, pace. It seemed, to her at least, that he wanted to be away from him almost as much as she did.

"Can't you just take me back to the palace? I promise, I won't tell anyone anything!" Hitomi pleaded, her green eyes shining in the hope he would understand.

"I'm afraid that I can't do that…as much as I would like to; you _are_ still considered a danger to our purpose, therefore I must keep you away from our enemies' hands. Dilandau will most certainly be given praise for his work at capturing you, even…"

Hitomi's heart dropped from the small hitch it had taken with the hope he might release her. She looked down at the metallic floor, at her dirty sneakers as they took one step and then another, sighing silently and wringing her hands together in front of her. Her mind trailed quickly, leading her to the thoughts of running from Folken _now _rather than waiting…

There were no soldiers around, from what she could see, and she could run faster than anyone on this…thing! She _could _escape from them…

…But how would she get down? It wasn't like she could steal one of their guymelefs and _fly _it down…so how would she do it? Maybe hide and wait for them to go down? She could cling to the back of the melef and hop down when no one was paying any attention…and then run…no, that was foolish. If she ran now they would, no doubt, be intelligent enough to check everything, even the melefs, before allowing anyone to leave the fortress.

She was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she hadn't realized that Folken had stopped, and would have nearly crashed into him, had he not turned around and noted she was still walking. His hand landed on her shoulder, and he watched her as she gasped and looked up at him, confused as to what had happened. Folken, however, merely smiled a sort of kind smile that seemed rather sad as well before opening the door with a push of a button.

"What were you thinking about?" Folken asked softly as he entered the room, Hitomi following carefully behind.

"N-nothing," Hitomi replied, just a bit quickly, before looking around the room they'd entered as the door shut behind her. It seemed to be a small, private lab; one table on the far side had an assembly of beakers and tubes, while across on the opposite side of the room stood a tall bookshelf with varying books she assumed to be medical and scientific journals. Another table was on the door wall, a work space for whatever didn't require tubes, she assumed. Opposite the door they'd come in, the wall was broken with another door and decorated with large and ornate portraits. She couldn't make out the images in the dim light, however, so she turned her attention back to Folken.

"You're lying," Folken continued, once he was certain she was actually looking at him, with a small grin, and Hitomi blushed faintly, diverting her attention again. "It's okay to be frightened and miss being with your friends," he stated and once again, there was a sort of sadness that Hitomi could just barely catch that fleeting glimpse of before it disappeared.

"Oh…" Hitomi trailed off, thinking of her friends and her real home. She missed her mother and brother, Amano-sempai and Yukari…

"Yeah…" she continued, preferring to simply agree with him. The less he knew of her real thoughts the better chance she had. Shaking her head to clear her thoughts proved to be double edged: her thoughts were thrown clear to the other side of the room, but merely because the action brought to mind the painful throbbing of her cheek. "Ow…" she said, one eye squinted as she gingerly touched the pained area.

"Does it hurt badly?" Folken asked, and Hitomi cradled her injured cheek, a finger just barely grazing over the scabbed over wound.

"Now I know how Dilandau felt…"

Folken made some miniscule noise in his throat before approaching a metal table. When he turned to Hitomi and patted the table she took this as her sign to approach as well, and continued by hopping onto the cool surface. Folken said nothing as he gathered some things, returned to her, and began washing the cut out with something similar to isopropyl alcohol. The movements stung her face and made her wince as pain seared right up to her eye, along her jaw, and practically into her brain. The older male didn't stop in his work, thoroughly cleaning her new wound before bandaging it gently.

It wasn't a deep wound, she knew, and had even scabbed over well enough, but the fact that it hurt that badly for her left her wondering about the pain Dilandau had gone through. Surely, for someone of his military position, he was used to such pain?

Hitomi vaguely wondered what she would tell her mother, and all her friends, when they saw her new injury.

Making the assumption that she ever saw them again…

"You're lucky," Folken started, causing Hitomi to jump faintly, "Your cut isn't as deep as Dilandau's, else I'd be stitching you up right now. Just avoid disturbing the wound, and there should be no problems with scarring."

And by that she understood he meant "Don't aggravate it like Dilandau did or you'll end up with a scar like his". She nodded in understanding, willing herself not to touch it at all. She could never deal too well with open injuries like this; she always wanted to scratch it, or pick or poke at it. It wasn't like she _wanted _a huge scar on her face, of all places; it was just that she had this odd fascination with things like this…a strange curiosity, if you will.

"Do you have any other major injuries?" Folken asked, and Hitomi shook her head silently. The lump on the back of her head hadn't split open, so there was little he could do aside from prescribe some sleep. Even more so she would've known if she had another injury like the one throbbing on her face…

At least, she hoped she would.

"Then I'll take you to the room you'll be staying in until you're sent to the Dilate," Folken informed her, and led her through the small lab and into a small office, through the office and into a moderately sized, and obviously masculine bedroom. "I'm afraid this is the safest place I can give you, there's a bath through that door, and you may borrow some of my clothes if you see fit."

Hitomi nearly choked on air, turning beat red as she looked to Folken with her eyes wide with surprise. This was obviously _his _room, and there wasn't _that _much room left after the large bed to begin with! Sure, the room was impeccably neat and tidy, but the floor was the same metal as the rest of the floors she had walked upon; cold and…metal! She wasn't going to sleep on it and neither would he, she guessed. The bed, while it was a good size and could easily fit more than two people, was _his _bed. As in he _slept _in it.

Hitomi wouldn't allow her mind to stray to any other possibilities. Folken was a man, a man that had to be in his twenties, mid or late, give a few years, and men had needs! Too busy she was pondering whether or not she'd be comfortable sleeping on the floor if she hijacked the heavy blanket atop the bed, that she failed to notice Folken turning from her.

"I'll bring you some dinner shortly, please don't leave the room as I won't be able to prevent the men from doing anything particularly unpleasant," Folken stated, heading towards the door they'd come through. "Do try to relax, though," he added, looking at her flushed face and most likely reading it wrong. "You seem rather stressed, so get some rest and enjoy a hot bath; it'll do you good."

And then he was gone.

Hitomi listened for any sound that the door may end up locking, but seeing as it was a bedroom the door wouldn't lock from the outside…or so she hoped.

Still flushed, and a little more than nervous, Hitomi made her way to the closet and peered in. The blue flame nearby didn't help that much, but it was certainly more enjoyable than the pitch black. At least she could _see, _even just slightly, with the blue flame.

So, after some more strange feelings of awkwardness as she shifted about his wardrobe and brought anything remotely acceptable into the light of the lamp, she settled with a loose pair of black pants and a large long sleeved shirt. She guessed from the looks of things that they were sleeping attire -possibly training gear?- and therefore would be best to wear. The more flesh was covered, the better.

The light in the bathroom was far brighter, thankfully, as many small fixtures adorned the walls, casting an orangey glow about the small space. It wasn't difficult to lock this door, she noted, so she did so, out of habit and out of paranoia. Folken stated she was safe, and was most likely in the study outside the bedroom, but she would never be secure knowing Dilandau was even on the same hemisphere, let alone the same fortress.

"That's enough thinking of him for now," Hitomi said, albeit a bit shakily. Dilandau caused enough trouble between her mind and her heart to last her a dozen lifetimes. She settled, instead, on getting clean and getting some sleep.

Figuring out the shower/bath combo was a little more difficult than figuring out the lock on the door, and once she had fiddled around with the strange knobs and faucet she finally got the water to flow normally. Usually she'd take a shower, but due to her face, and the soreness in her body, she decided on the bath Folken had suggested.

The only thing left?

Figuring out the shampoo and the soap. The tub was filling with steaming water as she checked in the small closet for whatever she would use to wash with. There was nothing in the shower for soap or the like, and she had to find a towel.

"It could be worse," Hitomi muttered quietly, grabbing a large grey towel, what seemed to her as a bar of soap, and some dark brown liquid in a glass bottle. Smelling the liquid and then tipping some of the contents onto a finger, she confirmed it as suitable for shampoo, and though it had a distinctly masculine scent she was content to put up with it for a chance to be completely clean. She wasn't certain if it was just the need to be clean physically or if it had something to do with a more figurative clean; once she was stripped of her clothing and stepping into the hot water, she decided it didn't matter anymore.

The hot water proved to be wonderful and Hitomi's overworked muscles finally began to relax as she scrubbed layers of dirt, dried sweat and caked on blood away. Several, much smaller scratches littered her arms and legs, making it seem as though she had gotten into a fight with a paper shredder, and won…for the most part.

Washing her hair proved to be a little more difficult, as she didn't want to get the bandages wet, so she settled with tipping her hair back, getting it as wet as possible and then lathering the shampoo in. Standing up she shivered slightly and her legs practically screamed at her to sit down again, but she had to finish washing. Pulling the plug on the water, she turned the shower on after a moment of fiddling with the knobs again. Hot water streamed over her head, taking the suds and grim with it, before she hastily made one last scrub over her whole body.

Once she was clean, she settled for simply standing under the water until the heat began to fade; with the hot water disappearing, she lazily and begrudging shut the water off, grabbing the towel from the floor near the tub and began to dry off. Pulling on her underpants, she snagged his shirt and tugged it on, noting out ridiculous she looked in that alone before tugging the pants on.

Looking at herself in the mirror again, she raised an eyebrow and shook her head. The clothing was far too large for her, and she had problems just pulling the drawstring tight enough to ensure the pants wouldn't fall down. The same went for her mad attempts to roll her sleeves up, which didn't work at all seeing as there were no drawstrings to fix that problem.

Stepping out into the dimly lit bedroom, she first noticed that more lamps had been turned on, her eyes then instantly focused on a small boy who couldn't be more than 12, setting a tray down on the unused desk next to an orange flamed lamp. Blinking faintly, the boy started, big eyes seeming to get even bigger, if possible, as he looked at her in shock.

The boy looked at her. She looked at the boy.

They stared for a moment; the boy steadily turning redder and redder even in the poor lighting, and Hitomi steadily wondering why he was blushing so badly.

"I-I'm sorry…I didn't know Folken would be having a mistress here…"

Hitomi's blank, but _kind_, face turned deadly.


	3. Minor Resentment

**A/N: **Third chapter, edited, updated and whatnot. I haven't quite decided what Fanelian steak should taste like, but perhaps next time I'm in the kitchen I'll whip up a batch of spices for it? I dunno. Still, three edited chapters in one day is pretty good! By the way, today's date is September 15, 2009. I'm hoping to get all the chapters currently uploaded updated by tonight. I couldn't leave them as is; it's been a while since I worked on this and I've changed in several areas.

* * *

The red faced look of complete and total indignity had plastered its way onto her face when she finally found her voice. The child was lucky he had already placed the tray on the table, for if he had been still holding it he was certain it would've clattered to the floor in a burst of food and glass. This, in turn, would mean some latrine duty for maybe two weeks, and on an entire _ship_ full of _men_ it was not as simple as it would seem.

"_Mistress!_" Hitomi hissed, just barely containing her righteous anger. She couldn't very well let loose on the poor boy and ream him a new one; he was only 12 and couldn't _possibly _know what he was saying. "I'm no _mistress!_ I'm a prisoner!" She said, voice raising slightly and making the boy take several steps backwards.

"Ah…Kito," a gentle but stern voice said, and Hitomi turned to look at a blue and black clad male in the doorway. "Folken-sama asked me to come and make sure that you didn't…disrupt…"

Hitomi blinked at the bowl-cut blond, and he blinked back. An uneasy paused passed between them; Hitomi uncertain about how he would react, and he uncertain why there was a strange girl in Folken's bedroom.

A sudden look of familiarity passed over his face just a scant moment later and Hitomi, her mental supports already cracked, found herself thinking that, if he was drawn as a cartoon, there would be a light on over his head.

"You must be the girl Dilandau-sama is ranting about," he said, a small smile gracing his slightly angelic features thereafter.

"He's ranting about me?" Hitomi asked nervously, and her hand went up to the bandage on her cheek before she knew what she was doing. She was certain Dilandau's ranting didn't bode well for anyone, least of all her.

"Don't worry…you should be safe in here. No one ever gets through without permission from Folken-sama, besides the servants," he said quickly, noting the worried look on her face. "Kito, head back to the kitchens." His soft but stern dismissal seemed to be a godsend for the boy; he didn't bother to even say 'goodbye' before he was tearing from the room faster than Hitomi could blink. The short boy could certainly move fast.

'_Probably has to, if he lives in this hell hole…' _Hitomi pondered coolly.

Another awkward pause passed between them, Hitomi noted that the blond was beginning to fidget, and she swallowed and hastily thought of something that could break the ice, so to speak. They weren't getting anywhere just standing around fidgeting, and she needed to keep her mind occupied; if she didn't, she would fall back to thinking of _him _and thinking of _him_ at this time was not a wise idea.

"What's your name?" She blurted out, busying herself with the sleeves of the far too big night shirt and pretending to be nonchalant.

"Chesta…"

"Mine's Hitomi…"

"I remember you from Allen's Fortress," Chesta nodded, and Hitomi tried to find someway to make herself not feel as…stupid.

"Just thought polite introductions might make this a bit less uncomfortable," she muttered, eyes dancing anywhere but on the boy, and clasped her hands behind her back to avoid scratching the wound on her cheek. It was beginning to hurt in that "I need to scratch it" way, and slowly becoming unbearable as they stood, yet again, in silence.

"I should be returning to the mess hall," Chesta said, and bowed out of the room. The door shut, leaving her staring at it and letting out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. Dropping onto the edge of the bed she sighed, resting her forehead in her hands and counting backwards from twenty. _Stay calm, stay collected, you can do this!_ She repeated the mantra in her head despite the incessant throbbing in her cheek telling her to scratch or rub or something, just to ease the pressure of the wound.

Truthfully, Hitomi figured her meeting with Chesta, however short it was, truly could've gone a lot better than it had. If she tried hard enough, she figured she could blame the whole thing on Dilandau anyways; Chesta was one of the Dragonslayers, after all, so it was only natural that she would feel tense and frightened by them…right? Still, Chesta looked like a poster child, a 'Good Boy', a Mama's little angel…how on earth had someone as precious looking as he end up in the Dragonslayers?

Shaking her head of her rampant thoughts and looking towards the table where her food lay, Hitomi raised an eyebrow, noting the decent sized steak, the fresh looking vegetables and the crystal clear water. This was definitely _not _prisoner food…

"Strange…" she muttered, standing to walk over to the desk before sitting down before it. The first thought that popped into her mind was that maybe someone had poisoned it; the second was that this meal wasn't for her, but was for Folken. Surely Folken would've informed the young boy that he had a prisoner staying in his room, and therefore the food should be brought there, so why would the young boy be so surprised?

"You know, it's getting colder the longer you look at it."

Hitomi nearly jumped out of her skin, heart throbbing with fright, not expecting Folken's calm voice to fill the room so soon. She turned to look at him, flushing slightly from a combination of elevated heartbeat and embarrassment at being caught just staring at food with what promised to be an amusing face.

"Don't worry, Hitomi, that's your dinner," he reassured her gently, a gentle smile never leaving his face.

"How do I know it wasn't poisoned or something?" She blurted out, immediately regretting the hostile accusation she'd thrown at him. Folken wasn't that kind of guy, she knew, and she hadn't meant to make it seem like she was attacking _him, _but rather, the people who answered more to Dilandau.

"I'm surprised, but I suppose you have reason to worry, especially with the grudge Dilandau seems to be holding quite well."

Hitomi flushed again, embarrassed that her emotions and thoughts had gotten away from her again. Even though Folken was part of Zaibach, it was highly doubtable that he would poison a young girl, especially after saving her from the trouble that was Dilandau. So, slightly reassured that she was safe, she began eating slowly.

"I really hope I'm not getting in the way," Hitomi started quietly, after eating a piece of the rare cooked steak. She had never been one for rare steak, but whatever they seasoned it with made it nearly impossible to do anything but eat the steak.

"Nonsense; it's better that you're safe here, than being locked away in that cell," Folken said with a shake of his head. "Dilandau has no reason to come down this hallway, let alone in this room, so this is where you are safest."

"Where will you be sleeping though?" She continued, determined not to vocalize that the dinner was better than anything she'd had so far. Even the food at the Palace hadn't tasted quite as good as this! Eating was a great time, she decided, for she wasn't plagued with the necessity to keep her mind busy; focusing on her meal she was capable of ignoring most of her plight. Still, the aching in her belly wasn't being sated with small, polite bites.

"I hardly sleep lately," Folken informed her, that soft smile still on his face as she turned her gaze to him. She was in the process of wondering, and vaguely worrying, why he didn't sleep often when he continued down a different tangent in response to her hasted eating. "I must commend the cooks…they do make a very good Fanelian Steak."

Hitomi processed the information half assed, too wrapped up in eating the steak to actually _think _about those words until she ran them by again, thinking along the lines of "They sure _do_ know how to cook a Fanelian Steak!"

And then thoughts of Fanelia and the people that destroyed it came back to her. They came back so fast she nearly choked on a chunk of meat. Coughing faintly and swallowing the meat in her mouth she began to ponder something.

'Why would they be cooking _Fanelian_ Steak? I admit it's good, but certainly they could've called it…Zaibachian Steak, right?' She wasn't sure whether it was just the fact that they didn't care enough to change the name, or what, but the unbidden feeling that she was going to hear something she didn't want to made her stop eating. Her gut was curling and clenching in a bag way as she turned to look at him, eyes carefully guarded as best as she could manage.

"Why do you still call it Fanelian Steak?" She asked quietly, peering up at him through her dried bangs.

"I would prefer to keep it that way, as Fanelia is my home country."

**Stab!**

She couldn't hide the disbelief from her eyes or face when she actually looked at him fully, looked to the man leaning in an almost _casual_ way against the wall. His gentle smile was no longer there, instead replaced by a grim and haunted look that Hitomi wanted to smack right off his face.

'_Traitor!' _Her mind screamed at him, all thoughts of how kind Folken was flying out the window with this new revelation. Thoughts of Balgus, of the Generals and the home of two of her friends; the people who'd lost their homes, their life's work…the knowledge that the man right in front of her had originated from such a beautiful place, and had subsequently been the cause of its _destruction_ left her shaking again. She was certain that, even if she could actually pull off hitting the man, her legs would not hold her. This was just too much!

"You…you helped destroy your own home country?" Hitomi asked, voice quivering with something strange to her; something she couldn't remember feeling so strongly. "You just…those people?!"

"Regretfully, Dilandau couldn't be stopped when it came to the ultimate goal that was behind the attack," Folken said, standing straight and looking at her solemnly. "If I had been able to stop him, I would've." Despite her intense feelings of anger towards him, she knew in her gut that he truly wished Fanelia hadn't been annihilated; she still, though, would never forget it. She wasn't sure why she felt so strongly about this, having not been there for too long…but Fanelia was a small capitol…

Folken left the room before Hitomi could come up with anything even resembling an intelligent retort. She was alone again, and she wondered just how sorry he really was. Certainly he felt some form of regret…but still!

Having finished the steak, Hitomi felt no need to finish the meal before her; her hunger had significantly declined after the latest bomb to her mind. She'd been captured by the enemy, saved by the enemy and then discovered that the enemy was also from Fanelia and had helped burn it to the ground. She wondered what else would come; they said bad luck came in threes, so what else would happen?

Shaking her head and thinking back to Van and the others she crawled over the bed, pulled back the heavy down blanket and slid in between the blanket and the sheet. She still didn't trust the bed, seeing as the kid's mistress comment really made her ill. Though she doubted Folken would go to such lengths, she wouldn't assume anything anymore with the older male. The pillows held no scent whatsoever, and though this usually meant that no one had slept in them yet, Hitomi still got the shivers when being in his bed.

"Tomorrow should be interesting…" she pondered quietly, mind racing over everything, tumbling over thoughts and then winding up back at square one.

She'd been captured by Dilandau. Van hadn't been able to save her. Folken had rescued her from Dilandau. Yet she couldn't help but wonder: who would rescue her from them? Could she put everything on the line and save herself? It was dangerous, and who knew what kind of punishment Dilandau would bestow upon her…

Groaning she rolled over, clutching a pillow close to her chest and hiding her blurring eyes in it. She wanted her mother, her brother, her friends; she wanted to be safe in her own bed, in her own home…


	4. Alice

**A/N: **Cleared up some stuff, added some more tension; all around, I find this chapter far more satisfying. Any luck you will too. September 15th 2009.

* * *

She'd fallen into routine over the course of six days. Wake up to a breakfast of oatmeal, bathe and dress in Folken's bath and clothing, sometimes sit around doing nothing but twiddling her hair through her fingers or, on a rare occasion, following Folken to the extensive Library just a few hallways away. She wasn't at all surprised when she found out the only reason he brought her with him was Dilandau was in a foul mood, and had been acting poorly; it wasn't a guarantee that she was safe in Folken's room if he wasn't around. A few times she'd be left in his bedroom only because Dilandau hadn't been in the fortress on that day, or during that time…this time, was not one of those 'Dilandau's out' days.

Six days…they'd gone by fast and yet in the same breath it felt like they'd crawled by slower than a sloth. She had yet to find any way to escape without winding up caught by the sadistic bastard that Dilandau was. If she were to escape then she would have to time it during one of the outings from Folken's room. There was simply no way for her to get out of his room for he was usually working in his Study or Lab; this meant that she'd have to be ten times as sneaky as ever. Along the way to the Library, she would carefully watch every hall, every door they passed, memorizing the turns they took and mentally counting how long it took to just walk down them.

In a way, she felt like she was training in ninjutsu. Basics demanded she know any hiding spot, how many people are in a certain area at a certain time, and how many exits were within range. This thought made her feel a little cooler than she did before; it made her heart beat with excitement and reminded her of all the times from her childhood where she and her neighbors would play similar games. Sometimes, when she thought of it, it made her want to laugh, but that would probably call attention and be bad.

On that particular day, days after her capture, they were walking down the massive hallway to the library quietly; Folken scanning the various pages in his hands as he walked and Hitomi acting like a ninja. Truthfully, she was a bit too paranoid and obvious to really pull it off, but Folken was so wrapped up in whatever was on the sheets and actually getting to the right place that he hadn't an eye to spare to watch her slightly conspicuous eyeballing of her surroundings.

'Alright…that hallway usually has quite a few servants wandering around noon time…and then again around dinner time, so the kitchen must be somewhere around there. There's another hallway across from the library, but there are usually soldiers moving through there a lot. It would be stupid to try and get through there…I have yet to find a hallway that's usually empty.' She slowed as they reached the familiar library door, watching Folken's arm reach out and pull it open before stepping aside to let her in.

Two steps in and she froze, gaping at the figure leaning on the table while flicking through a book. He seemed too engrossed to realize she was there for a moment, eyes darting across the page and a flurry of emotion following. It took him a moment to notice and it wasn't until Folken had also entered the room, wondering why Hitomi had stopped, that he looked up.

"Dilandau…I wasn't expecting you to be in a library," Folken said, mildly surprised, gently urging Hitomi to the side as she struggled not to look completely terrified.

She'd discovered over the course of the near week that her mind became a muddy river whenever the young General was involved. Sometimes, between panic attacks, she found herself wading through that river, filled with petty, teenage thoughts like 'He's so handsome' and 'He went through a lot of trouble for you when he could've just _killed _you like he did everyone else'. She found herself to be extremely tired as she continued trudging down that river, getting so thick and heavy with mud that she couldn't move and was forced to retreat.

When her mind wasn't floating down that river, it was going down the larger, clearer, river that yelled and screamed that "He's the bad guy! He destroyed Fanelia! He hurt Van! _He cut open your face!_ How could you even like someone after they did that!?" Clearly, the larger river was far safer to travel through but she always found herself merely standing in it, not even bothering to move. Frighteningly, she _preferred _trying to traverse the muddy one. Was she going insane or something?

"I was merely strolling through, Folken, don't look too much into it," Dilandau's voice cut through her thoughts with his typical aloof and snide comments. Similarly, when she refocused her gaze on him, she found his eyes to be doing an accurate representation of bloody _daggers_, aimed between the two of them. She hadn't seen him since Folken had evacuated her from the prison cell and she'd been relieved…

Dilandau, however, did not appear amused. He was dangerous, young and selfish; not a good combination, she told herself, but rather a very lethal combination. Especially for a person who didn't know the value of human life.

Still, the sound of his voice and his statement left her repressing the urge to roll her eyes, preferring to direct her attention to a bookshelf to her right. It was easier to look at that than to look at the handsome young man not too far from her.

"And how is the little girl doing, hmm?" Dilandau opted for making up for lost time, standing and rocking on his heels lazily as he shut the book and placed it on the table for the moment. His eyes locked on her, he took only a few steps closer to her, so he wasn't shouting across the room to address her. It was a library, she mused, she could just barely envision a librarian hushing the young male for shouting.

It wasn't as humorous as she would've liked.

"Just fine, no thanks to you," Hitomi snapped, stopping her hand from going up to her cheek as she glared at him as best she could. She wasn't known for being truly hateful, really, so her glares were nothing in comparison to others. Especially not _his…_and he was glaring at her rather well.

"Aww, little Hitomi seems to still be sore about me _borrowing _her. You know, Hi-to-mi, Van still hasn't come for you; maybe you're not as important as you thought you were? Or maybe you just get in the way too much?" He barbed and like a true predator he was able to see the cracks in her mental fortitude and her self esteem.

"That's enough Dilandau, if you have nothing better to do, leave," Folken chastised, and Dilandau smirked, grabbing the heavy, leather bound tome from the table again and tapping its cover gently.

"I was actually here to read up on some very important things, regarding several surrounding countries and their treaties with each other," Dilandau cooed, smirking at the icy look Folken was sending him.

"Why would _you _need to know that?" Hitomi started, "aren't you merely the man who goes in and destroys everything at an order?" She bit out with hostility, watching him rest the book on the table again and take enough steps towards her that she could reach out and touch him.

"Honestly, I do so much more than that!" He chimed, leaning down a bit towards her with a cold smirk and a freezing humor in his eyes. "And I'm _flattered_ that you see me as a _man_, it's really something to hear that, instead of being called a teen. Although," he paused tapping his chin and standing straight as his eyes swept over her form, "I can _safely_ say I'm _far_ from calling you a 'woman'."

_**Slap! **_

Echoing through the library, the sound of flesh striking flesh left all parties, and seemingly time itself, frozen. Hitomi stood before them, arm drawn over her chest and hand stinging in pain, panting faintly as her face heated with some strange mixture of embarrassment and fury. Dilandau was holding his cheek, not in pain, but in shock, and was almost gaping at her, his red eyes wide and shining with disbelief. Even the normally stoic Folken was wide eyed, his mouth hanging partially open. No one dared move for what seemed like an eternity before Dilandau's surprised visage slowly slid into a horrible _smirk._

"I…I…" Hitomi stuttered, her hand falling to her side as she stepped back nervously. Her heart was thumping heavily against her chest as the silence rang deafening in her ears; her hands, sweaty already, tightened in the loose fabric of the oversized shirt she was clad in. She was certain he was going to hit her right back; she'd heard from Kito the second morning, after he brought her food, that Dilandau's _slaps _were like _punches_ and his punches were nightmares. If he did strike her she'd wind up on the floor with her head reeling, she was positive.

"I never thought you'd have it in you," Dilandau said quietly, shocking the frightened female and putting a hand on his hip. He looked down at her coolly, not a trace of rage on his features and that _scared _her even more. "I'm almost impressed…" he chimed lightly, switching his position to allow his cheek to rest in the cradle of his palm as his head tilted. Amusement, whether from actually being stricken by her or by her fear, was clear and bright as a sun lit glass.

"I really didn't…mean to," Hitomi said quickly, stepping back again and attempting to swallow the lump that seemed to have formed in her throat. Was it getting hotter in the library or was this just a panic attack? She wasn't sure…

"I really doubt that one," Dilandau responded with a laugh. No matter how she looked at it, this laugh was more like one filled with malice and insanity, as the silver haired man was slightly prone to. Even worse? The room echoed _horribly_, leaving his malice and insanity multiplying in a rather unsettling way.

She had to be just as insane for even letting the passing thought that maybe she could like him flitter through her skull.

"If that's all," Folken interrupted coolly, stepping to her side and placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder, "it may be better if you left."

"Remember your policy on these books not leaving the library? I'm afraid I can't go against orders, you know," Dilandau muttered seriously as he returned to the table. "And this is a rather important matter," he added, glancing over his shoulder at them.

"I can make an exception this time," Folken continued, but Dilandau laughed again, a small chuckle this time.

"That wouldn't be proper, Folken, as you know the book would probably get misplaced, and dare I say…_destroyed_."

Hitomi glanced over to Folken, whose eye, she was certain, had started to twitch faintly. They turned back to Dilandau as he took a seat at the only table in the whole library. Although it was large table, it was just one; she'd end up having to be near him whether she wanted to or not. Hopefully, though, he would remain distracted by whatever he found so important. The less he spoke or even acknowledged her, the better.

"Don't mind him, Hitomi, he's just trying to bait you more," Folken muttered, and led her past a few bookcases and away from Dilandau. He proceeded to pull out another large and heavy book once they'd turned down into a section she didn't pay much attention to. "I've been meaning to ask you to help me with this," he continued, turning to her and handing her book, "it's written in a very strange language, and I was hoping you may be able to help."

Making their way back to the table and the better lighting, Hitomi set the book as far away from Dilandau as she could, finding him to be scanning the pages again and not even bothering with her. Content she'd at least get some form of piece, she continued, flipping open the book just to blink when familiar letters met her eyes. Surprise etched onto her face and confusion following, her fingertips lightly dancing over the pages of the book. It wasn't too old, she found, and was in rather good condition…

"How did a book like this get here?" She muttered before she could stop herself, continuing to flip through the pages as the English language popped up before her.

"What book is this?" Folken asked, taking her words as a positive sign.

Hitomi blinked faintly, and then smiled a little. "It's nothing important, it's actually a children's story…it's called "Alice in Wonderland, and Alice through the Looking Glass"," she stated, and flipped through the pages at the back of the book as well, finding a date on the last page of annotations, "but it's a little strange…" she added, "I mean, this is a fairly recent copy and it's written in English…" she trailed off, checking the front and back of the book for any kind of name or signing.

"English?" Dilandau voiced from behind her, and she jumped slightly, spinning around to find him right there.

"Y-yeah, English…it's the Mystic Moon's Universal language, people everywhere can learn it, and sometimes it's necessary," Hitomi nervously explained. "But this book is _completely_ in English…even the first pages, having everything English. Normally, you'd find the price on the inside of the cover, or on the back near the barcode... However this only has USA and Canada listed…which usually means they got it in one of those countries. Of course, you can special order things…but why would someone need to special order this book? It's sold everywhere…and even more so, this was rebound to look older…"

"What does all of your rambling mean?" Dilandau prodded, glaring at her slightly.

Frowning at him, for her rambling _did _have a purpose, she huffed and turned from him before continuing. "It means that someone else from the Mystic Moon has been here before, and could've been from America or Canada."

"Could've been?"

Hitomi sighed heavily, wishing Dilandau would get away from her, just so she could think properly. "Well, you can travel anywhere on the planet, and buy whatever you'd like, for the most part…so in reality it could've been anyone. I'm just giving a more likely option."

"You women are all alike; can't give anyone a straight answer."

"Well, if you'd stop asking so many questions that I can't exactly answer I wouldn't be giving messed up answers!" She retorted coldly, finding the male had a nice way of causing her short fuse to get even shorter.

"So, the basic premise of the book, is it's a children's story?" Folken asked, looking almost disappointed.

"It's pretty heavy reading for most children nowadays, at least in its regular book form, but they made a movie that's child safe, and several other movies that follow the book more. But it is interesting nonetheless."

"Alright," Folken said, and left for the shelf after casting Dilandau a warning look. "I have others I'd like you to look at."

Hitomi nodded faintly, before turning around and looking up at Dilandau with all the anger she could muster, which, when he smirked down at her, turned out to not be anywhere near enough.

"Do you have to stand behind me like that?" She bit out tersely, crossing her arms over her chest and jutting her chin out. Attempting to look nonplussed was harder than she figured, she found, especially when the king of it stood before her.

"So, how were you planning on escaping? Maybe hiding somewhere and escaping on a cargo lift?" He began almost humorously, a strange glimmer of mischief coming to his face. She wasn't sure she liked that…

Still, she stuttered faintly, cheeks reddening just the slightest before stamping her foot. "There's no way I can escape from this hellhole without some help! But at least Folken-san is generous and kind enough to help keep me from you!"

"I seem to remember a few times where you thought differently than that," Dilandau muttered, hand on his chin as he pretended to think.

"It was all in your head," Hitomi hissed faintly, and then jumped slightly when Dilandau appeared much closer than he had been before. This meant she was pinned to the table in an awkward and not to mention _painful_ position with Dilandau's arms on either side of her, caging her in. Vaguely, she wondered why Folken hadn't returned yet. Surely there weren't that many books!

"Oh, really? I seriously doubt that," he purred, and Hitomi swallowed for a moment, noticing that, in the light of the orange and yellow flames around them, his eyes looked darker, almost heady. His hair, she realized as she leaned further back, was as soft as feather down as it brushed against her cheek and forehead.

'Why is he so close!?' Her mind screeched, eyes widening when he seemed to be leaning closer, his head tilting in just a way that made it apparent that he intended to kiss her. His hot breath ghosting over her lips a moment, he suddenly paused and pulled away enough that she knew she was safe for the moment.

"Dilandau."

Saved by Folken's stern voice!

Turning to look at the elder male, as Dilandau backed off substantially, she found a large pile of books being put on the table. Stepping away from where she had been, she took the first book on the stack and flipped it open, a slight frown creasing her forehead as her mind worked. Quickly, she spread the books out over the area, flipping open the covers to get their titles, and looked at each one.

"Folken-san…where'd you get all these books?" She asked curiously, the cogs turning and whirling, throwing all thoughts of Dilandau and whatever he was thinking out of her head for the time being.

"Didn't Dallet bring these books here with him?" Dilandau asked, peering over the books before looking to the elder male. Folken nodded merely nodded his confirmation, watching Hitomi and the closeness Dilandau seemed to be playing with cautiously.

"I'd like to talk with him…to find out where he got them," Hitomi decided, a small spark of hope igniting in her chest before she could stop it. Maybe…just maybe, she'd found a way home!


	5. Main Course

**A/N: **On a roll here. I extended the dialogue and interaction between Hitomi and Dallet this time around. It was pretty lacking the first time, so hopefully this will be much better. September 15th, 2009

* * *

Somehow, Hitomi knew that asking to meet Dallet was a very strange request; there was something about meeting _any _of the Dragonslayers that just worried her, though she had yet to figure out what it was _exactly._ She had a good idea, and good ideas were always useful to build off from, so she started from her hypothesis and attempted to work things out in her mind.

First off, they were the _Dragonslayers,_ so naturally she should be nervous; that name had _nothing_ to do with slaying the creatures called dragons. Secondly, how would they react to seeing the human female that had been traveling with Van? Thirdly, what would Dilandau say? And Fourth, she was part of the reason Migel was _dead_.

Yes, the thought of what Dilandau would say to them worried her quite a bit. She wouldn't mind if he told them simple things, or even better not tell them anything. But what if he told them she was going to be his wife or concubine, or something insane like that?! What if he continued and informed them that it was her fault that their comrade was dead?

Dread pooled in her stomach and she cast a nervous glance to the cocky general walking just two paces in front of her. If he did that she would drop dead, she knew it. Folken, she knew, would never allow any harm to befall her at all, if possible, but Dilandau…well, she wasn't too certain he wouldn't get some kind of sick kick from watching her tremble in fear of his Slayers. That would be just like him, she figured, to watch her squirm and panic…

'God…what have I gotten myself into? He's bound to say something so horrible that I'll want to drop dead right then and there!' Her mind shrieked and she pondered telling Folken she felt ill, just so she could avoid it. She'd never been so nervous, even in front of whole classrooms back home; it was highly different, though, being in front of her peers and being in front of her enemies.

"We're almost there, Hitomi," Folken said calmly, and Hitomi just barely caught the whole phrase. She flushed faintly, though she knew not why; perhaps the fact that she was so worried that she was off in La-La Land was the reason. "Are you alright?"

"Y-yes…I'm alright," Hitomi said quietly, just barely keeping the stutter down. Aside from there being something unnerving about meeting the Dragonslayers, there was something unnerving in Folken's voice…

There was something in it that struck her as familiar.

"I have to wonder if you're nervous about meeting my men," Dilandau said quietly, drawing Hitomi's attention straight to him. The teen was simply leaning against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest and that horrible smirk quirking his pale lips.

For a moment she had a very uncharacteristic desire to punch that smug grin right off his face.

Maybe then he'd learn not to taunt and tease her.

Scowling faintly, and not even realizing what she was doing, she turned back to Folken, finding his eyes locked on her face. Another moment later and she managed to smack herself back to reality long enough to realize she was _stroking _her wounded cheek as though it were some kind of stress reliever.

She really had no idea why she kept losing track of her mind and her body, but it was really starting to worry her. Hand clenched down to her side, she blamed Dilandau for bringing out the worst in her. Maybe that was what he was trying to do: break her mind by antagonizing her until her sense of right and wrong became skewed and incomprehensible. It could be it, she wouldn't put such a thing past him.

"Perhaps it would be best if I brought Dallet to meet with you in my private study," Folken stated, gently brushing her hair from her face and leaning in slightly. "You didn't agitate the healing process, thankfully," he continued softly before turning her by the shoulder and placing a hand on her lower back to usher her forward. "Dilandau, I'll ask you to bring Dallet to my study," he stated loudly, and Hitomi breathed a faint sigh of relief when the clicking of boots led away from them with a snort.

Folken didn't remain intruding upon her personal space for long at all; he removed his hand, and placed a good amount of distance between them in seconds, though she didn't know the reason for that either.

Quite frankly she was getting annoyed with everything she _didn't _know, and what she did know did nothing to help her. She didn't know why Dilandau did what he did; perhaps it was revenge, or perhaps it was something deeper. She didn't know why Folken's voice stirred something within her that told her it was familiar. She didn't know why Van hadn't come for her yet.

That simple fact was what hurt the most, and yet didn't hurt at all at the same time. Naturally, any sane individual would seek to escape the enemy and be with the person that made their heart thump wildly in their chest…but what happens when the image of that person becomes blurred and slowly takes the form of another? Even against their will?

If she visualized it and projected the thought onto a screen, one would see a blurred picture of Van with a blurred picture of Dilandau starting to appear more brightly and solid. Now, continuing with this train of thought, every time her heart began tipping because her mind was centering on something important, one of the images would become brighter than the other.

These thoughts were dangerous, she knew; Dilandau was not a dashing Prince, nor a kind and generous person. Dilandau was dangerous. She just had to keep reminding herself of that…but it wasn't working properly. Why did it feel like he appealed to some twisted side that even _she _had never experienced? Sure, the typical teenage female angst and whatnot applied to her in the same way it applied to everyone else, but honestly…

"You're dazing off again, Hitomi," Folken chuckled, and Hitomi snapped back to reality, finding they had reached Folken's door, yet she had decided to continue walking past it in her daze. Folken's hand was on her shoulder, firm so she could not slip from the grip, but not so much so that it hurt. "If there's something troubling you, you can tell me," he added as an afterthought before leading the way into the dimly lit room.

"I don't think it's something you could help me with, Folken-san…" Hitomi muttered quietly, allowing Folken to guide her into a comfortable chair in his Study. That and she didn't want to verbally confirm her frightening thoughts.

"Whether or not I could help isn't the matter; sometimes it's better to tell someone what's worrying you, for it can help you feel better," Folken replied kindly, and Hitomi opened her mouth to respond before snapping it shut. Her mother had told her those same words when she had first joined the track team; she had been worrying about the first meet to the point where she had lost her appetite. Her mother had picked up on it and easily amended the problem…

So, maybe if she told Folken, the problem would be fixed, like he suggested. Folken was older and wiser, so surely he would be able to help put her on the right track, right?

"It's Dilandau…" she said quietly, glancing to the side and biting her lip faintly, still nervous about even speaking the words on her mind. She didn't _like _him, but that felt like a lie; some part of him, she supposed, _appealed _to her in a way any handsome young man would…

"Dilandau does cause quite a bit of distress," Folken muttered, nodding for her to continue. Obviously, he'd experienced the male's troublesome ways quite a bit.

"I guessed…but…I'm just so confused as to why he did this; why me? It makes no sense at all…maybe if I were pretty, like my friend Yukari, I would understand…"

"Hitomi, every woman has something that makes them beautiful; you shouldn't compare yourself to someone else just based on looks."

"I know, but in all honesty I'm just a tomboy," Hitomi sighed, feeling a small wave of depression when she thought of Yukari and even Millerna. They were just so beautiful, so feminine, that it seemed as though they simply outshined her. Perhaps that was why Van hadn't come for her; he didn't want to be around a girl that looked more like a boy than the female she was.

"But this can't be all that's wrong," Folken pressed gently, bringing her back to attention.

"Well…it's just that…I mean, he _frightens _me and that's not good…but a part of me doesn't seem to mind the way it should…" she muttered, finding Folken to be looking at her seriously. He seemed ready to open his mouth, his features softening with worry, but was interrupted by the same chilled voice of the male she'd been referring to.

"This is _most _pleasing to hear."

Hitomi's blood ran cold and she stiffened when she heard that drawling voice behind her. She hadn't even heard the door slide open, and she couldn't even bring herself to turn around to look at the male that had just heard something she never, ever in a million years, wanted him to hear.

"I'm surprised, Little Hitomi," Dilandau continued, "I didn't think you would cave so easily." His humor and contentment was practically tangible and she wasn't even _looking _at him!

Anger, indignity and embarrassment filtered into her system all at once, overriding any normal sense of fear and self preservation in the hope that she could do anything to wipe that smirk from his face. Quickly, she stood, spinning on her heel to look at the smug looking teen with indignant fury.

"I haven't _caved _at all, Dilandau, and now, thanks to you, my mind has been made up! I wouldn't stay here with you if you were the last _boy _on Gaia!" She yelled, stomping her foot solidly and earning an equally solid glare from the insulted male. She took great pleasure in seeing that smug countenance dropped to the floor like a rock.

"Dilandau," Folken interrupted quickly, sensing a horrible tirade that would give him quite the headache approaching quickly. "You were not permitted to enter my study without permission."

"Do forgive me, then; I simply understood that when I brought Dallet I should bring him in immediately," Dilandau hissed sarcastically as he turned around. "Don't keep Hitomi too long; remember, we have a dinner date tonight," he added as an afterthought, grinning darkly at the stunned girl.

The door slid open once he was finished addressing the duo, content that whatever proud soapbox Hitomi had found would effectively be destroyed quickly with the worry of what would happen being alone with him. Dilandau motioned with his arm to someone she couldn't see as he left, not even excusing himself as he did so, and leaving said person to walk into the study carefully, as though he were unsure of whether or not he had done something horribly wrong.

"Good afternoon, Dallet," Folken said quietly, though his tone was anything but menacing. He seemed relieved that an argument had been assuaged, but similarly, he was also worried about the dinner date Dilandau had spoken of. He would have to speak to the young General before he got any ideas in his head.

"Good afternoon, Folken-sama," Dallet replied politely, standing stiffly and swallowing faintly before glancing to her and blinking.

Hitomi blinked as well, quickly taking in his appearance before they started talking. His hair was shoulder length, cut precisely, and his eyes were a tinted grey, though she couldn't say exactly for the light in the room was still poor in comparison. He had an all around look about him that screamed 'I'm a pretty boy and I'm suave as hell', she noticed, but it didn't bother her anywhere near as much as Dilandau did.

"Sir?" Dallet asked confusedly, looking to Folken once again and practically begging to know why he'd been called to the superior's Study.

"Hitomi wished to speak with you about the origin of the books you brought with you," Folken said as he stood. Dallet visually relaxed, glancing to her once more before watching the elder male stand. "No one else is allowed in here, Dallet," he said sternly, "Please, excuse me: I must go speak with Dilandau about some important matters," he said as he made his way to towards the door again.

Silence filled the room once the door had shut. Dallet's stiff posture relaxed completely once his Superior was gone and, glancing at her, he stepped to the door and pressed a button to lock it before returning to the seat across from her.

"You're a bit jumpy…does that help at all? Knowing Dilandau-sama can't get in?" Damn, he was good, she'd give him that. Nodding mutely and neglecting to offer that it didn't help that she was now locked in the room with _him_.

"Thank you," she said, sitting down again and letting out a heavy sigh.

"You're the girl from the Mystic Moon, right?" Dallet said, tilting his head as he sat down. "You wanted to ask me about those weird books, right?" He wasted no more time in getting to the heart of things, but he did seem to find her nervousness a bit distressing. Dallet wasn't even sure how to go about properly calming the female before him; what if Mystic Moon girls didn't react properly?

"Yeah," Hitomi replied, shaking all thoughts of Dilandau, once again, from her skull. She swore, mentally, that she wouldn't allow him to continue gaining footholds in her head, before nodding firmly as Dallet smiled faintly.

"Well, there's not that much I can say as to _how _they got here, but they were in my aunt's house. I just brought them with me as there was nothing better to do with them. They were written in a strange language, so I figured they would be able to translate it."

Disappointment had never been so bitter. Thought she had known not to get her hopes up, she'd still hoped for even the smallest of building blocks to work with. "Oh," Hitomi muttered, "I assume your aunt is…"

"Dead. She's been dead for a few years now."

She slumped in the chair, resting her head against her hand as she heaved a heavy sigh. Ups and downs seemed to be frequent nowadays and she really wished she could just find some kind of level ground to be able to rebuild her confidence upon. What was she supposed to do now? It wasn't like she could go around asking about Dallet's aunt and expect to find someone who knew everything she needed to know. She had hit a major dead end, and any hope of speaking with that person about how to get home seemed to be so far away.

"Why do you look so disappointed?" Dallet asked as he lounged in the chair.

"I was hoping to find someone who might know how to get me home," Hitomi replied mindlessly, not even looking at him. "If someone had visited and then gone home…maybe someone would still be alive to recall how they did it…"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Those books are from the Mystic Moon," Hitomi sighed sadly, "I was hoping you would know who got them so I could talk to them and maybe find a way home." Her clarification of her point made Dallet stiffen faintly and she finally looked at him to find him biting the inside of his lower lip.

"If that was the case, and I did know someone, I wouldn't be able to tell you; Dilandau-sama would kill me if I did," Dallet admitted upon seeing her curious gaze, and Hitomi sank further into her seat.

So, she wasn't even going to find a helpful hand in the Dragonslayers; something she shouldn't be all that surprised about, but still…she had hoped that maybe, just _maybe, _someone would be kind enough to see her distress and help her out. She supposed Dilandau could generate enough fear to control a person without having to lift a finger. God knew it was working with her. The thought alone made her feel worse.

"What are those books anyways?" He asked, and Hitomi paused slightly before shaking her head and leaning forward to fix the rolled up part of her pants.

"They're just fairytales and children's stories," she said quietly, "Just silly little dreams."

"I was hoping for something a little more exciting," he muttered disappointedly.

"I was hoping for something a little more helpful," Hitomi mirrored and sighed heavily.

"You should feel lucky," Dallet began a moment later, and the tone in his voice suggested that he was trying to help her feel better. "Dilandau-sama wouldn't be so lenient if you were anyone else…or if Folken-sama hadn't been there."

"Lucky? All that proves is that if Folken-san hadn't been there I'd be in an even worse predicament than I already am!" Hitomi laughed, though the sound was far from pleasant. It was a very un-Hitomi like sound, and she had to wonder just where it had come from. "To tell you the truth," she began quietly, "I'm surprised you're even speaking with me."

"Where did you get that cut?" Dallet asked suddenly, obviously ignoring her statement, and apparently just noticing the damage done to her face.

"Who do you think?" Hitomi replied quietly, a mixture of embarrassment and sadness tinting her voice.

"I didn't believe Dilandau-sama would go so far as to hurt a lady…" Dallet said gently, surprising her with his words.

Hitomi snorted indignantly, another very un-Hitomi like action, resting her head on her hand as Dallet looked on silently. "I do; I wouldn't put anything past that devil." It was true and she hated it all the same. If he wasn't such a jerk…if he wasn't so cruel…

"It's not his fault he was raised this way," Dallet offered gently, "We all were…we're soldiers, Hitomi. Surely, you have some form of military on your planet?"

Blinking in shock, she nodded slightly, "We have a lot of different militaries…we have a lot of countries…"

"So, how is it any different here? We just do what we, as soldiers, must do."

Biting her tongue, Hitomi's mind agreed in ways her heart wished she wouldn't. Soldiers, all over the world and all through time, did the same thing. Invasions, killing, burning…

Different reasons, different prompts, but the end result when you looked at them just as they were, was the same and comparable to the men on the very floating ship she was in.

"Sure, Dilandau-sama _could _let up on the hitting, but…what else would he do when we behave or act disrespectfully? A cold reprimand won't keep people from making foolish mistakes," he added with a playful smile. "He may have a foul temper, but he's the reason we're here."

"Next thing you'll be telling me is he's not all bad," Hitomi said, praying he wouldn't do that.

"He really isn't."

Damn, she just wasn't having any luck today.

* * *

Folken's eyes never left Dilandau's back as they walked through the hanger, pausing along the catwalk overlooking the dark pit of the Levi Stones that the Vione had taken shelter in. The young general looked as though he were pondering something very important; an act that Folken didn't usually see unless Dilandau was plotting the destruction of some country or aiming to capture some form of poor pray. He certainly hoped, as he recalled Dilandau's earlier research, that the young male _wasn't _plotting the destruction of another country or town; they really couldn't afford another brash and distasteful attack.

"Dilandau, what are you thinking about?" Folken finally asked, noting that Dilandau didn't even jump slightly, like Hitomi did, when he broke him from his thoughts. In fact, Folken wasn't even sure if he had even drawn Dilandau from his thoughts. The male remained looking out at the darkness below them before slowly angling his head to glance at the elder male.

"I'm thinking about how many ways there are to twist Hitomi's views back into our favor, Folken," Dilandau finally cooed, turning and leaning against the railing (an act that Folken frowned upon for if they collided with a Levi stone Dilandau, or anyone else for that matter, would go flying over said railing). "It's obvious I've already gotten that little seed of doubt planted…and believe me, I love a good challenge, but what challenge is there when she won't even lean towards me?" His false pout brought a deeper frown to Folken's face and Dilandau falling over the railing was forgotten.

"Dilandau, why is it I have the distinct feeling there's more to this than you're letting on?" Folken said with a tinge of warning, growing aggravated as the teen refused to give a straight answer the first time around.

"There's always been more to it," Dilandau shrugged with a grin. "Why should I allow Van to take what I want?" He continued a bit more bitterly. "The added bonus is when I finally win her over, Van will be a crushed little King," he continued before chuckling softly. "I get the added satisfaction of breaking Van, while keeping that little Hitomi for myself."

"Am I to assume," Folken began, wonder tinting his voice, "that you're not simply _using _Hitomi to break Van? That breaking Van is simply the dessert to follow the main course?"

"Absolutely…and I must say, this main course is positively delicious looking," Dilandau laughed, making Folken's eye twitch faintly with the realization that his metaphor was one he should've thought about a little more. Likening Hitomi to a main course, and Van to a dessert, was by far the worst thing to do with a teenage general like Dilandau.

"I don't think I have to tell you to behave, Dilandau; don't pressure Hitomi or abuse her even further."

Dilandau shrugged faintly, turning back to him once again and smiling darkly. "I don't even have to, nor would I force her into something she wouldn't want. I don't believe I'll have to injure her again; I think I got the point across the first time," he finished, face falling serious again as he turned and began to stalk away, leaving Folken with an uncomfortable weight on his shoulders.

Hitomi wasn't in so much danger, physically, but in terms of mental and emotional damage…Folken sighed heavily. Hitomi was considered an enemy, so anything Dilandau brought to the Superiors wouldn't be tossed aside at all. Folken himself could only keep her so safe before anyone began to wonder about his loyalties; Zaibach was rather paranoid about such things. Keeping her in his room was a manner of keeping Dilandau focused and the girl under constant supervision; anything beyond that would be scrutinized horribly.

'_I'm sorry, Hitomi, but you're going to have to learn to handle this,' _he pondered, turning back the way they'd come and starting back to the room. He'd have to warn her, at the very least.


	6. Sick

**A/N:** Okay, I think I've fixed this chapter quite well. When I read it the first time I really had to wonder what the hell was I thinking. I believe I was in too much of a rush to get the chapters out that I didn't really look at how the chapters, the characters and the interaction flowed. That said, I think this is a great improvement.

* * *

They hadn't spoken for a good twenty minutes. Hitomi had been shaken enough by Dallet's comments that she really couldn't think straight for long. Dallet, himself, hadn't said a word and was trying to look anywhere but at her. Apparently he could figure out when he should've really kept his mouth shut, but it was too late to revoke any of the comments he'd made. She had been trying to do the same with him, though the awkward silence was really beginning to get to her. The quietness was ringing in her ears and her mind was no longer safe to be in.

Her eyes trailed over the various books and maps decorating the room for what had to be the hundredth time as she struggled to find some way to kill the silence stretching between them. A small glance at Dallet proved he was watching her again, a strange look of thought on his face, though why was beyond her. When she caught his eyes again he quickly diverted his attention somewhere else. This strange game had been going on and off all this time, and yet there had been no sign of Folken or Dilandau.

"This is awkward," she finally said, not looking at Dallet but paying attention to a rather interesting smudge on her sneaker.

"I agree," Dallet said calmly, and then the deafening silence fell upon them once again.

Hitomi struggled to find something, anything, worth saying; she wasn't about to just smile and ask about the weather, or something dumb like that. Pausing to think about it she realized that knowing what the weather outside was like was actually a cheerful idea. That didn't mean she was going to bring that topic up, though.

"So, how's the weather outside?" She blurted out, swallowing and flushing faintly as she mentally smacked herself silly. Of all the things she could've said…she just had to bring up the most cliché and, honestly, silly, topic ever. It wasn't like it would keep her busy long enough, after all, and what use would it be anyways?

"It's okay; not too warm, not too cold. We're in a Levistone field, so it's a little darker than normal," Dallet informed her casually, as though it were no big deal. "You're not used to all this, huh?" He continued, not allowing that horrible silence to ring in their eardrums again. "I bet you were hoping that I would say it's sunny and warm outside, right?"

"It would've been nice," Hitomi muttered, "But at least I still have my imagination…" she added quietly.

Dallet's mouth opened again before he shut it, apparently in second guessing of whether or not his next sentence should continue. Steeling himself, he began simply, "I figure I should tell you this as well," he said after a single moment. "I don't hold it against you; it was those bastards Allen and Van," he growled, bringing Hitomi's immediate attention. "I don't hold it against you at all, but the others have a little more difficult a time; you _did _help after all," he said airily, and Hitomi felt her heart clench horribly in her chest.

Somehow she sought to blame everything on herself, she noticed, for when he said that she instantly thought of Fanelia. Tears stung her eyes as she looked down at her hands wringing and clenching the fabric of Folken's pants. They still hadn't gotten her new clothing, she mused as a way to stem the flow of depressing thoughts, she couldn't really blame them and Folken's night clothing was actually quite comfortable and warm.

"It's all my fault that Allen got hurt, too," she muttered, not even looking away from the pants as her eyesight blurred faintly. "You could even blame the destruction of Fanelia and Allen's fortress on me, if you went about it the right way. You could say 'She's from the Mystic Moon and that world's bad luck', or something of the sort, and it would all make sense, wouldn't it? Anyways, everyone else says the Mystic Moon is cursed," she continued sadly, finally wiping the falling tears from her face with the overlong sleeve.

"Are you really blaming yourself for all those incidents? Why would you even consider it? You know it was us; we were the ones that burned them to the ground," Dallet said quickly, worried that if Dilandau or Folken walked in he would be blamed for making Hitomi cry, and then would be on the receiving end of another one of Dilandau's infamously painful hits. "Whether you had appeared in Fanelia or not, we would've burned it to the ground. Even still, if Allen got hurt, it was by his own folly; he shouldn't have lost his cool. Losing your cool in battle can cost a victory."

"If I hadn't appeared you would've caught the Escaflowne and Van right then and there," Hitomi pointed out, sniffling quietly. "Then Allen's fortress would never have been burnt down."

"You're overlooking the fact that some of the people were evacuated from the fortress with little problem; so what if the fortress itself burned down? It's just a building." Dallet refused to point out that, had they caught Van and Escaflowne right then, the world wouldn't be any better, and would, in fact, be worse. Still, the figures at the doorway prevented him from even speaking those points.

"Are you two done?" A snide voice called from the opening door, and Hitomi sighed heavily as Dilandau strutted in, surveying the scene before him and deciding all was well. "Hitomi and I have a dinner date that we'll be late for if you don't hurry," he continued as Hitomi stood up with Dallet. The male saluted Dilandau before heading for the door stiffly.

"Bye, Dallet-san," she said as she retreated into Folken's bedroom, closing the door behind her and falling on the bed. She wasn't sure how Dilandau had managed to unlock the door, but she was going to suggest to Folken that he change his code or whatever. Speaking of Folken, surely he should've been back here by now…right?

Thinking over everything with her hands over her face, she decided Dilandau just really put a damper on things sometimes. It was made even worse when that horrible feeling that came with seeing _him_ appeared while she was being depressed about the destruction of _Fanelia_. The destruction of Fanelia reminded her of Van, who had yet to come for her, and remembering Van made her remember that she was just lounging about conversing with the enemy like they were the best of friends. This whole chain of remembering left her strangely exhausted; her hopes had been crushed when Dallet informed her of his aunt's death and the lack of knowledge as to the previous owner of the books.

"You know," Dilandau muttered from the doorway, "Running away and hiding in Folken's bedroom isn't going to save you this time around."

Jolting only slightly, she frowned behind her hands, wondering where Folken was that Dilandau was taking such bold liberties. Deciding she wasn't going to let her fear of him permeate her one safe haven, she growled low in her throat. "Why can't you just leave me alone? Haven't you done enough to me already? I don't even know why you're bothering to keep me here," she complained, shoving her face in a pillow and groaning loudly in frustration.

"You really should know all the answers to those questions, Hitomi," Dilandau replied coldly, though Hitomi could hear a trace sound of something else behind the cold exterior. "I suppose the clothing you're wearing will be good enough, given we have no suitable dresses," he continued, walking over and tracing a hand up her ankle. "It's a private meal, so it'll be just you and me," he cooed, wrapping his hand around her ankle and pulling. She slid down the bed with a yelp, trying to turn onto her back and glare at the male. "Come along," he ordered, smirking darkly at her as he lashed out to grab her hand to yank her up.

Being thrown completely off balance by the sudden attacks, Hitomi crashed into his chest with a gasp, pushing against it when he looped his arm around her waist and tugged her to him tightly. "What is wrong with you?!" Hitomi squealed, finding that being pressed so close to the object of her hatred, and her affection, was a little more enjoyable than she wished it to be.

"There's nothing wrong with me," Dilandau growled, "But, perhaps there's something wrong with _you_? I mean, you've made yourself quite comfortable here, and haven't even tried to escape," he cooed softly. "You've even expressed that you don't think I'm so bad…sounds to me like someone's having second thoughts about where she belongs…" He didn't even give her a chance to reply before shifting her into his side and tugging her out of the room.

Hitomi glared at the floor as he led her from the study and into the dark hallway, guiding her with his arm wrapped securely around her waist. She knew he was right; she was still so confused as to what she wanted exactly, and the more she focused on the feel of her body held against his side the more worried she became for she was starting to feel quite comfortable there. She wasn't sure what was going on, but despite knowing the danger, she felt none of it even this close.

'_Van would never hold me like this…' _she mused internally.

Hitomi's heart clenched faintly and her mood fell even further. Van…was he even okay? Was that why they still hadn't come for her? Perhaps, she figured, they just couldn't _find _them; they were hiding after all…but was it really so easy to hide such a massive airship? She wondered, just for a moment, if they even wanted to come after her in the first place. Van had gotten hurt and would need to heal, Allen was probably being sidetracked by Millerna, and the drama would merely get worse as Eries started complaining to Allen once again. Merle was probably screaming up a storm about how stupid she was, and blaming her for Van getting hurt…

"You shouldn't continue to blame yourself for the trouble going on, Hitomi," Dilandau said calmly as he led her into a barely lit room. Choosing to ignore the hint of cruel amusement in his voice she focused on investigating her surroundings, making sure no weapons or the like could be seen. Her eyes fell on a small table, two elaborate meals laid out and two wine glasses waiting for them; nothing more and nothing less.

"It's not like you could deny it," she said quietly, allowing Dilandau to seat her, and push her chair in. She was too tired to deal with his antics if she should refuse; he seemed almost _giddy _and would probably have no problem making her feel worse if she didn't behave accordingly.

"I could and I will," Dilandau chuckled. "You shouldn't allow them to place the blame on you; you haven't done anything wrong, really," he began once again. The smile he was sending her made her shiver slightly, and a blush spread across her cheeks as she turned her attention to her meal. Vaguely, she wondered if maybe he had poisoned it. "Even worse, Van never knew what he had right in front of him. Even Allen was so wrapped up in that foolish princess that he couldn't see you. What a horrible man, he is, to sully your reputation and then just walk away…" he trailed off a moment, a look of true anger flashing crimson in his eyes. "It's quite horrible that a Knight like him would do such a dishonorable thing."

Hitomi scowled faintly, stabbing a carrot with a little more force than she'd intended as she glared up at him. "What are you getting at?" She bit out, remembering their first meeting in Allen's fortress with a bitter mixture of embarrassment and worry.

"As a Knight, especially one of his caliber, Allen should be more aware of what such a statement can do to a woman's reputation," Dilandau explained seriously, "He said you were his: that has a lot of connotations, connotations he went and shoved into the back of his mind the first time that princess came cantering in. In short, your honor is nothing short of tarnished."

She swore she wouldn't let him get her worked up, but damn, did he have to use such cruel truths to do it? She was starting to wonder whether he was rubbing it in her face that Allen had done such a thing, or if he was merely stating the facts for some other nefarious purpose. Almost feeling like a psychic, she _knew _what he was attempting to get across even more than just 'tarnished honor'. Apparently Dilandau had more class than to refer to her as a common _whore._

Just that thought, just the idea that not only had she been assumed as a Handmaiden, but people everyone would consider her nothing more than Allen's whore, made her hands shake and her heart shudder with a pain she didn't like to feel.

"No one actually believed that," she bit out, trying to grasp onto that idea pathetically. "Back to the original topic, Van and Allen both have much they have to handle right now. With you constantly breathing down our necks, there's no time for that foolishness!" Hitomi liked to believe she sounded strong, but the look on his face spoke of nothing short of her failure. She was grasping broken straws and she knew it.

Dilandau snorted loudly a moment later, the sound confirming her fears, and reached for his wine glass while shaking his head. He took a small gulp, fixing her with a cold stare, and tilted his head as he began again. "Hitomi, I'm a busy person too, if you have forgotten," he sneered coldly, "I have to hunt them down, I've got more soldiers than just my Dragonslayers under my command that need to be given orders, I have people I have to report to, and now I have you to take care of."

Hitomi weighed both sides as best as possible, finding that Dilandau alone seemed to outweigh Van and Allen together. Sure, Van and Allen had quite a bit to do, but any time she saw them they were doing nothing on par with Dilandau's responsibilities. Dilandau seemed to always be doing something in comparison.

Van, despite being a king, was a king of a fallen country, and had to constantly run and hide. He was still young at that, so he had much more to practice than Dilandau, and had to work on his political capabilities as well, something Dilandau seemed to do every day. Van had to deal with Merle on a daily basis, however, and she was certain that all the Dragonslayers combined couldn't outweigh the aggravation Merle brought with her wherever she went.

Allen, a Knight Caeli, had Millerna to deal with, and that was up there on the Merle scale, but in a completely different form. Yet Allen had to answer to King Aston, had to command the 8 members of the Crusade and was always running around under the command of his chivalry.

"My point has been made," Dilandau commented, that cruel tint to his words infecting his words even more, while watching her with those darkened eyes.

Hitomi said nothing, settling, instead, on continuing to eat. The food was wonderful, as usual, and she wondered whether this was just a typical meal, or if it was a delicacy from another country. "I suppose you've won this round," Hitomi finally admitted, much to her displeasure, sipping her wine and glancing to the smirking general. "But don't think you've won the war," she grumbled, using the cliché with little issue; it fit perfectly for the moment, and made Dilandau laugh.

"This war will be quite enjoyable, and I don't believe it's going to last long either," he said calmly, sending another shiver down Hitomi's spine. "I must admit, I'd like it if you'd lash out a little more; may make things more interesting, you know."

"Could you stop, please?" Hitomi said and sighed, feeling utterly defeated no matter how she looked at it. Dilandau seemed to be capable of draining her of energy quickly and she took a long gulp from the wine glass.

"You can certainly tip the glass back," Dilandau muttered, leaning on his hand and watching her.

"I blame that on you," Hitomi growled uncharacteristically, glaring at him through half lidded eyes and silently wishing him to just suddenly drop to the floor dead as her throat burned faintly. That long gulp of the potent wine sent her head buzzing, and though she was capable of drinking some more she wasn't sure if she should.

Dilandau didn't respond, and the rest of the meal was spent in companionable silence. Hitomi tried to focus on everything but Dilandau, the tense silence between them was similar to how it had been with Dallet, just a thousand times worse. Being stuck in a room with Dallet would've been so much easier to deal with than being stuck with Dilandau; the more he cast _those _looks at her, the more she felt her heart flutter and felt that same shiver of worry following after. No one had ever sent those looks to her, not even a small glance along the same lines; but, sitting right in front of her, Dilandau was giving her smoldering looks to rival none other.

"You should allow me to _care_ for you, Hitomi; those two fools wouldn't," he purred suddenly, though every word was freezing cold. The way he spoke to her made her quite certain that his version of caring would be more terrifying than anything she had experienced on Gaea so far. Well…maybe not that bad, but still quite high up there in the terror scale. Terror and abuse did not come together nicely…yet, some part of her swore it wouldn't be so bad. Had he raised his hand to her other than the cut on her face? Had he truly threatened her for cooperation, or done anything like that? Perhaps she was blind to the little things?

Hitomi blushed brightly, though not a school girl kind of blush, feeling a mixture of anger, embarrassment and worry fill her once more. He was right, she figured, when he said Van and Allen wouldn't care for her, after all Allen had Millerna, and Van had Merle…but why did _he_ seem to want care for _her_? It still made no sense to her, regardless of how he explained and how she looked at it.

"Why?" She finally asked, wiping her mouth politely and looking up at him once again. He was leaning on his hand while his free hand swirled the wine in the glass slowly, his eyes were _glimmering _with something strange and his lips were quirked in a smile so devilish that she worried she'd melt before him.

"Because I want you, Hi-to-mi; I thought that was obvious from our first encounter," he replied, the smirk plastered on his face was filled with malicious glee, though, and she seriously doubted just how kind he felt like being with her. He was ruining every theory she came up with every sentence that fell from his lips, and always left more room for another similar theory. "Did you enjoy your meal?"

"Yes, it was wonderful," she replied courteously.

Dilandau stood as he finished off his wine, placing the glass on the table before circling around and helping Hitomi from her chair. He didn't even give her time to settle herself and ask what was next, for a split second later his grip tightened, holding her right where she was, and his smooth lips covered hers quickly. Her eyes widened as he pulled her against him smoothly, his arms preventing her from escaping or even pulling away slightly. She squeaked faintly, a bright blush engulfing her face as his tongue intruded and wrapped around hers. She could taste the potent wine on his tongue still, stunning her taste buds as he pressed her against him harder, _demanding_ silently that she respond to his attention.

She didn't know what to do.

Allen had effectively made her out to be a _whore_, Van always made her feel like extra baggage…she knew she had to keep trying to bust that wall between herself and the young prince…but now…

She could blame it on the wine, she decided, as she parted her jaws a little more; trying wouldn't hurt, she figured. After all, what did she _really _have to lose? What would one stupid little kiss in private matter?

Tentatively she began to respond, slowly pressing her tongue against the almost _violent_ intrusion and earning a _purr _of content. She could feel the smirk quirking as his lips as he moved a hand up to her skull, kneading the flesh as he deepened that kiss and turned it into a more violent gnashing of jaws as she whimpered against him and responded just a little bit more. There was something simply addicting about that kiss, something she just couldn't resist leaning into; it caught her and trapped her so completely she couldn't think straight.

Slowly Dilandau pulled away, both panting heavily and Hitomi blushing deeply. Dilandau didn't let her go, his hand was still threaded in her hair, and he chuckled faintly as he licked his lips slowly, drawing her attention immediately to the slow and seductive movement. Her heart was beating, no, pounding in her chest as she stared up at the male holding her tightly in wonder. Her first _real _kiss. Her first ever _real _kiss and she had gotten it from a person she once thought to be her enemy, and she had _responded _just as hungrily as he had taken.

Shit.

"Lord Dilandau!"

Hitomi blinked, broken from her thoughts upon hearing the panicked voice echoing down the hallway outside the door. She looked to the door quickly as it slid open, revealing Chesta, panting heavily as though he had just sprinted the mile.

"What is it?" Dilandau snarled, glaring daggers at the male and freeing Hitomi from her arm based prison.

"Folken-sama sent me to find you; we've spotted another floating fortress! He says it belongs to Allen Schezar!"

Hitomi's heart fell to the pit of her stomach. It wasn't the fact that she had just kissed Dilandau and her savior had come; it the was the fact that she had just kissed Dilandau and she wasn't all that certain anymore if she even wanted to see either Van or Allen. She swore she wouldn't think so badly of them, but the truth Dilandau had presented her with had been overlooked by her inexperience and the constant need to run away. She'd honestly not thought of what had happened at the fortress for a while now…but, still, if Allen made her out to be a common whore, what did Dilandau make her out to be?

Said male turned to her, casting a look at her that spoke volumes of his rage, and grabbed her arm with enough force to bruise her flesh. He yanked her forward, _throwing _her into Chesta's body and snarling loudly as he stalked forward and through the door. "Take her to Folken's study and stay there!" He started angrily, shocking Hitomi with his violent treatment and harsh words. She supposed that his anger was because of Allen, and maybe he thought she'd try to escape or something. "If you leave her side I'll make you pay!"

And then he was gone, stalking down the hallway like an angry beast, leaving her being held up by Chesta. She stabilized herself, rubbing her arms before being pulled down the hallway by a nervous Chesta. His grip on her wrist was firm and, though they were deep enough in the fortress, he was wary about the halls as he hurried her along.

She had to jog to keep up with his long strides, battling the confusion as to what was going on around her; it seemed just a moment before she had been enjoying (or trying to enjoy) a meal with a _calm _Dilandau, and now she was running down a hall because someone was trying to save her.

"I'm sorry to have to do this," Chesta said as he closed the door to Folken's study, pressing a red button that lit up a moment. "But Dilandau-sama's orders are orders," he said gently, as though she would lash out at him, and kick and scream for help. Something she _should've _been doing, but wasn't.

Hitomi swallowed faintly, knowing that, unless someone caught a person who knew the code to Folken's study, they wouldn't be able to get in anyways. Chesta might've seemed like a pushover but he had more combat training than she ever would and she didn't even know where she was going, so running was out of the question really. She wasn't even sure what she was thinking really; by all right she should've been running anyways…so why weren't her legs obeying that thought? Dilandau had just shown her the danger he presented to her, so why…? Why wasn't she fighting and running into the arms of safety?

"You're not…fighting…" Chesta commented a slightly startled look on his face as she looked to him blankly.

"Should I be?" She asked quietly. She didn't even know what to do, so why would she waste time and precious energy fighting when she wasn't sure where to go or what to do? "Well…I should be…but my legs won't move right?" Did she have too much to drink too fast? Had Dilandau put some kind of drug in her food? Or…was this just shock?

"Perhaps…you should get some sleep?" Chesta offered, obviously thinking she wasn't feeling well. His gloved hand tilted her head up, holding open her eyelid as he got a good look at her eyes before frowning. "It's probably just stress," he said softly, "Sleep would be best." He motioned to Folken's bedroom, clearly deciding that for now, it would be safest to let her rest.

Hitomi didn't move, but glanced down to her right arm, finding it was no long just red, but was turning purple where Dilandau's tough grip had yanked her forward and threw her into Chesta. Touching the bruising area gently she winced, not enjoying the slight swelling under the heated flesh. It was going to end up being rather painful for a bruise caused by someone's grip alone. He was dangerous, Allen treated her like a whore one second and a child the next, Merle was always calling her annoying and stupid, Van was just Van…

Seeing that she wasn't moving, Chesta put an arm around her waist gently, guiding her into Folken's bedroom and setting her on the edge of the bed. Carefully he tilted her head up again, finding her blank face to be quite worrisome.

"You need some sleep," he said solidly, seemingly certain that she was no longer in her right mind. "Once this is all said and done Folken-sama will check and make sure you're not ill."

"But…I'm _not_ sick," Hitomi said calmly.

"It's been a very long day, Hitomi-san, just get some rest, I'll be guarding the door," Chesta continued, not listening to her as he walked out of the room and closed the door behind him.

"But I'm not really sick…am I?" Hitomi said pathetically, thinking hard about that question. "Maybe I am…"


	7. Glimpsed Insanity

**A/N: **Not too much changed here, aside from a completely new section at the end. One of the better chapters, probably. September 15th, 2009

* * *

Hitomi had always prided herself on maintaining her senses. Maintaining senses having the meaning of not blasting her eardrums to hell with incredibly loud music, or straining her eyes by reading in dim light, or even watching movies in the dark. Yet, as she sat on the bed staring at the door that had been closed for maybe ten minutes she couldn't hear a thing. She could see the door perfectly fine; the smooth metal looked flawless in the flickering candlelight, promised to be cool to the touch, and would slide open near soundlessly when someone finally opened it.

Biting her lip she finally moved her body. It felt strange, as she had been simply sitting and staring at the door for a while, and her muscles felt as though they had just been charged with an electric boost. Her muscles begged to be stretched and used, her body demanded that she run, or do jumping jacks, or something! Just as long as it involved movement. Personally she wanted to kick the door down, run past Chesta, and run all around the Vione, avoiding everyone along the way _just to piss them off_. She didn't quite know where these feelings of malice and mild sadism were coming from, but she wasn't about to push them away.

Thinking back to her psychology classes, Hitomi sighed faintly. Her teacher had explained to them that incredible power could come from just anger; she was peeved that Dilandau treated her in such horrid ways and peeved that Chesta seriously thought she was ill. She was peeved that Folken had allowed Dilandau to have a dinner date with her, but when she thought about it the poor man probably didn't even know himself what it might've meant. If he did he had obviously miscalculated her safety in the young male's presence.

'_I can't believe this…'_ she pondered quietly, walking around in circles, becoming ever more annoyed as the same dark items met her eyes. The bed, the bureau, the bathroom door, the small desk and bedside table…they were all _familiar _and she hated that thought. She didn't want anything in the room to become familiar, because if it did it would feel _awkward _to get back to where she should be. She wasn't about to go through those strange feelings.

"That's it…I need out…" she whispered aloud, and with a firm look planted on her face she stalked to the door and opened it. Standing in the door way she watched, vaguely amused, as Chesta startled to attention, fumbling just faintly with his sword belt. She almost wanted to smile when he finally relaxed enough to look at her concernedly. The more she looked into those eyes…

_Why _did they have to look _so _familiar?!

'_Don't look at me with those eyes,'_ she screamed mentally, wishing that he could at least pick up on the danger signals she was sending. _'Don't you _dare_look at me like that!'_

"You really shouldn't be walking around, Hitomi!" Chesta said nervously, seeming to think that if Dilandau walked in at that very moment it would spell certain doom, for whatever reason. "When one is ill bed rest is the best thing."

"I'm not sick!" Hitomi snapped, a little more forcefully than she had wanted. The slightly startled look on Chesta's face was enough to make some of her aggravation fade. That was what she had hoped to avoid; she _needed _her aggravation, damn it. How on Earth could anyone stay mad at a boy that looked like he belonged in khaki colored pants, with a white poet's shirt, sitting next to his mother like a good boy? Seriously, the male needed to be helping his mother by holding the yarn as she knitted, or helping his father muck out the stables, maybe even simply play fighting with the other town kids.

"I'm sorry…" she finally muttered after a moment's silence. She turned her attention back to Chesta's face, as staring at his boots had become boring quickly. Looking at his face, however, proved to worsen her foul mood; the male was smiling gently, _serenely_, even. His head was tilted just slightly, lips quirked in a true smile, a sapphire sparkle to his eyes, and although it was just a _small _smile, it _still _managed to reach his eyes. _'Why? Why can't he look colder? Even Van doesn't have this sort of…__look__…'_

There was no other way to describe it. If she had had the patience and the resources she could've scanned a dictionary to discover the words that could appropriately label him; but she didn't have either of them.

"Was there something you needed? Perhaps something to drink?" He asked quietly, her anger fading far too fast as he motioned to the cabinet behind him. She couldn't bring herself to be so cruel to him; he was probably already Dilandau's favorite punching bag and she couldn't add to that no matter how much her body screamed to move.

"I can't stay cooped up in here for much longer; I'm going to go crazy," Hitomi answered truthfully. She'd finally admitted the one thing she was most frightened about.

"I'm afraid it's too dangerous for you to leave the commander's chambers…and Folken-sama will be arriving at any moment to check if you're ill…" Chesta replied quietly, seeming to regret not being able to give a better answer. Hitomi doubted that he would allow her to leave regardless of the attack on the ship: that would be disobeying Dilandau's orders. If she knew anything about Dilandau's attitude, and she did, then it would end in something incredibly painful. "Why don't you have a seat and I'll get you something to drink?"

Hitomi opened her mouth to protest, but the teen had already turned from her, walking over to the far right side of the study to pour a small glass of wine out. Sighing heavily she dropped into the seat nearest, silently mouthing her defeat as she watched him carefully pour the liquid into the glass. "Chesta-san…what are the other Slayers like?" She asked quietly, not knowing anything else to speak of. She had already asked the typical question of Dallet; she didn't want to seem repetitive and boring.

* * *

Violent, ruby eyes surveyed the chaos surrounding him. Smoke billowed from a point near the hanger entrance, where no doubt the so called invaders had broke through, and was effectively providing him with camouflage as he stalked his prey. About 20 paces in front of him he could see Gatti, his sword arching in a diagonal slant upwards, effectively slashing wide open the stomach of a soldier from Palas. How these fools had managed to rope some Palas soldiers into joining their invasion was beyond him; he could've sworn they had some treaty or another with the foolish king…

A scream of pain, a strange but pleasing sound of liquid splattering against the metal floor and he giggled. Metal grinding against metal, harsh panting as men ran on adrenalin and determination, that choking sound as swords impaled and tore flesh, muscle and arteries in beautiful movements. How he _loved _those wonderful sounds; the sounds of war and pain, of violence and bloodshed.

Glancing to the right he could see the floating ship anchored to the side of the Vione; if they could take the ship out then they'd have no further difficulties dealing with the invaders. Quickly approaching footsteps alerted him to the fact that he was no longer unnoticed, and he spun around quickly, feeling the force of the attacker's sword shudder through his arm. Quickly gaining the offensive he began attacking the simple foot soldier, having no real patience with his kind. The male fell, with a perfect slash across his neck, quickly enough; too quickly, in fact, and he would make it a point to rub this disgraceful attempt at swordsmanship in the king's face when they cornered him about the attack.

"Have they found her yet?"

Dilandau's blood ran like fire when he heard that voice. That voice just instilled within him such an incredible rage that at times even _he _was shocked. He turned his burning gaze to the side, glancing at the figures standing together and panting lightly. Allen Schezar and his faithful little right hand man, Gaddes, stood in plain sight, obviously deeming nothing around them a current threat. Restraining his anger just slightly, allowing it to build up within him, he stepped closer with catlike stealth, a Cheshire grin on his face as he listened so very intently; whatever they had to say about _his _Hitomi it immediately included _him_.

"I haven't heard anything from them," Gaddes replied cautiously, turning his attention to the side just in time to send a knife flying into a greysuit's clavicle. The male had quite the lethal aim, he mused silently as the Zaibachian foot soldier dropped, hand clutching at the knife embedded in his lower throat. "Are you sure it was wise, Captain, sending Merle and _Millerna, _of all people, to find her?"

He was shuddering with rage by the time he reached 8 feet, still hidden in the shadows but knowing it was only a matter of time before someone else saw him. A sudden putrid stretch caught his nose, and he tilted his head to the side in time to witness another soldier's innards still out onto the floor before being crushed under the collapsed corpse. Sure enough, he had been noticed, but that was quite alright; he was tired of restraint. His muscles sprung him forward, his sword arching dangerously downwards to the startled Schezar, and a wicked and harsh laugh bubbled up from his throat. Pure glee was plastered on his face as he cackled maliciously, his assault never once faltering, even when Gaddes attempted to separate the two allow his commander to regain footing. He didn't get to, as Dilandau knew he wouldn't, for Guimel had gleefully joined the fray with a painful slash right across the elder male's back.

"Gaddes!"

"I'd be paying attention to my own battle, if I were you, Allen Schezar!" Dilandau yelled, progressively sounding more and more inhuman as the adrenaline coursing through his veins made each and every hit a staggering blow. Allen was having difficulty keeping his own properly, fatigue was no doubt already flushing through him, and just barely kept dodging and blocking his attacks. "You should never have come here, Allen!" He continued screaming, face contorting in a sadistic smirk. Another clang, another stumble, and a bleeding wound on the shoulder and Dilandau was _really _enjoying himself. "I hate you!" _Clang! _"I want you to _die_ here, Allen Schezar!" The tearing of fabric and of flesh, and Dilandau swore he could see _stars _as his blade cleaved a diagonal bloody pathway across Allen's chest. The Knight's sword had prevented the whole of the blow; had he not raised his sword in time Dilandau would've easily carved right through his clavicle.

"Now, Allen," he purred as he stood before the Knight, watching the blood stain the once pristine white shirt, "I want you to _die_…"

His sword raised one final time; he _swore _he would savor the memory of destroying Allen Schezar for the remainder of his life. His eyes lit up like twin suns, his teeth glistened like pearls as he bore his fangs in a sick and twisted grin…

"Commander!"

A larger body slammed into his from the side and with a snarl that would make a wolf proud he spun around to the man's side and buried his sword into the larger male's chest. His sword sunk in straight to the hilt with the force of his attack, piercing both lungs and, he silently prayed, the artery. Out of the corner of his eyes he saw Gaddes, bleeding profusely from a gauge on his side, lifting Allen with the assistance of a foot soldier. They wouldn't be escaping, if he had any say on it, and he was about to make this a point when the larger male hefted Allen right over his soldier and started off.

_With his sword _still _embedded in his ribcage!_

"Get back here!" Dilandau screamed, grabbing a sword from a corpse on the ground and chasing after. "I won't let you escape that easily!" He bellowed, his voice cracking somewhat painfully from the combination of screaming and snarling, shouting and laughing.

"Dilandau-sama!"

Dilandau turned his attention to the approaching soldier, eyeing the blood coating the suit with approval before raising an eyebrow. "What is it?" He snapped, hating the fact that Allen was, in fact escaping.

"Some of the other Dragonslayers located two female intruders…"

Dilandau's lips once again quirked in a cruel smile, his eyes shimmering with cruel interest; with those two still on the ship he had enough leverage over the King, over Van and Allen, and most of all, over Hitomi. "I want them locked away. Keep them separate from each other. If they speak even the slightest, you are to gag them," he ordered firmly, "Folken will make up his mind on what to do with the _Princess_."

"Are there other orders regarding the Crusade?"

"Give word to Viole, Amon, that I want him to put together a team of 3 Slayers simply to follow and observe; they are _not _to attack until given the order," he barked coldly, spinning smoothly on his heel before pausing. "Also, tell Folken that we need a cleanup crew down here; this place is a mess," he purred. That said he stalked away calmly, leaving behind the carnage that he had happily taken part in.

"Let's see what Daddy's Little Girl will use as an excuse for taking part in this humorous attack…" he muttered quietly to himself, stroking his chin thoughtfully as he walked down the corridor. "Perhaps I should tell her that Allen is dead? After all, without the princess on board how are they supposed to heal the damage? Unless they actually conned a healer out of the King's Medic Corps…"

Falling in on himself once again he pondered what to do for the remainder of the night. He was only a little tired, though he hadn't slept much the previous night and that was simply because of the wine; this kind of long day was one he was well used to.

"I should check on my dear little pet…after all, I don't want to seem neglectful in my duties," he purred quietly, striding now with a purpose, completely forgetting how filthy he was in lieu of seeing his precious little Hitomi.

* * *

"You seem to be doing a bit better," Chesta offered quietly, watching her as she slowly sipped the juice from the tumbler he'd given her. Whatever was going on, she couldn't hear any of it; they were just too far away from the combat to be able to tell. Still, Folken hadn't arrived, even after moments of tense waiting.

Despite asking about the other slayers, Chesta hadn't said much, preferring, instead, to insist she take everything easy. He was obviously frightened enough of Dilandau's wrath to keep the topics light and simple, or better yet, to keep her calm and sedated. She had a nasty feeling Dilandau would try to find some way to blame whatever her condition was on anyone he could if he found out about it.

She swore, time and time again, Dilandau didn't deserve the kind of devotion Chesta showed him.

Time and time again she was reminded of a time, long ago when she was smaller. She could remember saying she didn't deserve a present she'd been given after causing someone so much trouble, she could remember the way her grandmother had simply smiled and patted her head, stating that, even if she couldn't see her worth, the other person could. Her grandmother had laughed softly at her that day and said she'd understand…

…But how could there be something truly worth the pain he inflicted on them, in Dilandau? Was she just blinding herself because she perceived him as an enemy? Or was there really nothing worthwhile there…?

'_You'll have to figure out on your own_.'

She didn't think there was anything there that could make him worthwhile after everything. Honestly…

"He's not always abusive," Chesta said with a kind smile, pressing a damp facecloth with some ice within to the bruise on her arm. "If you make it known, he'd never lift a hand to you again."

'_No, don't tell me that…that's a lie!' _

Her mouth parted to speak the words her mind was shouting, but to be interrupted by the door sliding open. Folken stood in the doorway, looking hassled and a little tired, but otherwise calm and composed. He stepped within, leaving the door as it was, and made his way over to her side.

"Hitomi? Are you feeling ill?" He asked gently, pressing the back of his had to her forehead. "You do seem a bit warm…"

"I'm fine," she said tersely, but her exhausted form and features prevented the male from truly believing it. "Really…I'm just tired and the wine…"

"I'll need to check to be sure," he said, shaking his head and motioning to the lab while looking at Chesta. "Could you retrieve the thermometer in the top left hand draw of my desk? As well as my stethoscope?"

"Yes, Sir," Chesta said, hurrying to do just that.

"You may not believe it, but you could be suffering stress related illness, you know," Folken continued, speaking to her again and sighing. "I would've gotten here before Dilandau, but I was pulled to the command center when we discovered the approaching ship," he said tiredly.

Hitomi sighed quietly, not bothering to speak and instead opening her mouth for the thermometer. While they waited, Folken slid his stethoscope on, kneeling before her and lifting the edge of her shirt enough to press the cool end to the flesh between her breasts. He listened carefully for a few moments before instructing her to take a slow and deep breath in. This was repeated several times before he was content enough to pull away, taking a peek at her temperature as he did so.

"Heart rate's elevated, you have a slight fever…" he muttered, "I'm sure it's just stress," he finished.

"Folken-san…what happened to the airship?" Hitomi asked quietly, watching him carefully as he placed the objects on the desk.

The elder male paused, looking at her before shaking his head.

"There's nothing to worry about."


	8. Bit of Everything

**A/N: **I didn't change much in this chapter. Re-reading it, I was far more pleased with this chapter than the others. September 16, 2009

* * *

"There's nothing to worry about now."

Hitomi watched Folken's features carefully, knowing damn well that it was nothing short of a lie. She felt her hand twitching in annoyance before gripping the arm rest of the seat as she watched him. She already _knew _what was wrong with her, and it had something to do with the silver haired devil that had just walked into the room. Attention drawn to him, her eyes were filled at first with anger and frustration, and then turned into disgust and revulsion when she caught a hint of a foul odor that was emanating from the liquid staining the suit he wore. Chesta was standing erect, obviously unfazed and perfectly capable of completely ignoring the fluids slowly dripping from the uniform.

Folken was a different matter entirely. He looked so angry at that moment that it seemed like he would pull out his sword and use it against the young general himself. She could see why too: you just didn't _strut _into someone else's private sanctuary without being invited in, and you certainly didn't do it drenched in the remnants of battle. It was bad enough he had actually showed up so soon after a fight, but to show up looking like that…

"The intruders have been dealt with, Folken," Dilandau purred, with all the malicious intent of one befitting his stature as a crazy, pyromaniac murderer. "Even better we caught two little sneaks that had attempted to infiltrate and locate precious Hitomi here. Friends of hers, I believe," he continued snidely, a cruel smirk spreading across his handsome face. He had refrained from sitting down, but Hitomi didn't know whether or not it was a good thing. Standing up, a hand firmly planted on one hip, with the Devil's grin on his face, he took on the image of the executioner. Had he been sitting, though, she was positive she would've been even more freaked out: who would want to see someone like him _lounging _in a chair, wearing clothing covered in blood? These thoughts alone were enough to make her seek shelter in Folken's radiating aura. Yes, Folken was angry, but he was keeping his calm well enough.

He was much warmer, she figured, as she slid behind him and shut her eyes while trying not to breathe. There was a lot more than blood on his clothing and everyone could smell it. Feeling slightly faint, Hitomi gripped the back of his cloak tightly, swaying slightly before pressing her head against his back. Taking a shuddering breath to steady herself, she peered around his arm, eyes huge as she looked at the male.

Dilandau's smile was long gone. The male had settled on a cold glare that was split between she and Folken; her action of hiding from him had annoyed him, but at this stage in the game she was more than alright with that. Dilandau, vicious, abusive Dilandau, was standing in the door covered in bodily fluids.

_Anyone _would've been better than him.

"Dilandau," Folken finally muttered, voice strained but level, "What have I told you about entering without permission? And I can remember several times where I also informed you to wash up before you meet with anyone after a battle!" He reprimanded harshly, leaving Hitomi gaping at the back of his head. Just how often did this happen!? "I will _not _reiterate myself again! Now, I want you to go get cleaned up and retire to your quarters; General Adelphos will be meeting with us in two days and I expect you to be properly prepared!"

"General Adelphos?" Dilandau said quietly, turning his attention from glaring at Hitomi to looking at Folken. "Why will he be meeting us in such a short amount of time?"

"That is not for you to know just yet," Folken muttered, his hand going up and massaging his temples gently. "There is much to do so I suggest you get to it."

Dilandau remained silent and as Hitomi chanced another glance to him she found he seemed to be deep in thought. She knew that if someone caught Dilandau's attention like that then they had to be someone important; even more so Folken was making it seem as though this Adelphos person was the leader of Zaibach. This she knew to be false, but still…

Finally, the male spun on his heel, motioning for Chesta to follow immediately. He was dishing out orders to the blond youth, though she couldn't hear what he was growling, and both she and Folken waited patiently for him to be gone before relaxing. She let out a shuddering sigh as she let go of his cloak, dropping back into the seat heavily and covering her face.

Stomach churning unpleasantly, she resisted the urge to gag. That stench might've been from Allen's or Van's stomachs…or anyone of the Crusade. Shaking as she restrained the urge to vomit, she swore, swore to heaven and hell, that she would never, ever give Dilandau that chance.

Fifteen; she was only 15, why was she going through this at such a young age!? She knew the age differences in such a world like this meant less than what they did back home, but honestly…how could Dilandau, who couldn't be more than her 15 years, possibly be this way!?

"I know," Folken said softly, "That this is very taxing on you, but there is something I must to speak to you about," he continued quietly, shifting some papers around before pulling out a scroll. "Please, try to relax," he said. Hitomi pulled her chair up closer to the desk, wondering just what it was that had the elder male so vexed. "As you heard, Hitomi, General Adelphos will be here in two days; our fortresses are on course to meet and he intends to take advantage of this. He will not only be performing routine checks, but also wishes to meet with you in private. Naturally I will be by your side, but there are some things that you must know…"

Hitomi tilted her head slightly, wondering just why someone of such standing would wish to meet with her, and why Folken made it seem like there were several reasons as to why she should be thankful that he'd be with her. Folken remained silent a moment more, his mahogany eyes scanning the text printed on the scroll before a small sigh passed his thin pressed lips. "You make it seem as though there's something horrible that's going to happen…" she finally said, twisting her hands in her shirt nervously.

"Hitomi, I am unsure if you know of the laws of several countries," Folken began, picking out his words carefully. "Not only in Zaibach, but also in Fanelia and Palas, if you are an unmarried woman, then you _must _have the protection of a male family name. Whether it be your father, brother, or cousin; as long as there is a male to speak for you, you remain safer. You have no family here, but prior to being brought to the Vione, Allen Schezar and Van were both acting guardians. But even that didn't prevent you from being sold out."

Hitomi nodded dumbly, having a vague idea of where he was going with this. Seeing her nod Folken continued, "Therefore during your…imprisonment under Zaibach, you will have to take a family name. Otherwise people, regardless of stature, will take some extra…_liberties_, in their treatment of you. General Adelphos has agreed to adopt you; with his name as protection you will be guaranteed safety from what could happen. Not only that," he muttered quietly, peering to the door as though he expected Dilandau to hop in screaming about whatever, "But anyone who wishes to court you _must _have his permission."

"So, if Dilandau felt like courting me…he'd have to ask General Adelphos, right? And being a subordinate, and a young one at that, of this general, he's not likely to get permission, right?" Hitomi said suddenly, hope filling her chest with glee. The small smirk on Folken's face informed her that her assumption was correct and she wanted nothing more than to hope up in down with joy.

"However," he said quietly, "There are others out there, so _be careful _about what you agree to. If at all, don't agree to anything before you consult me."

Hitomi nodded quickly, the smile on her face was beginning to hurt her cheek but she just couldn't stop. Dilandau wouldn't be able to lay another hand on her in two days! Just _two days!_ She was positive she could survive another two days, as long as Dilandau was held at bay. Even then, she'd fight with anything she had just to keep him from having his way. It didn't matter that she would be receiving protection from this General Adelphos, or whatever; just having protection, having someone to say 'no', would be worth it. She could even ignore the warning signs flashing in her mind as she relaxed into the chair, staring at the ceiling.

Still, a moment later her mind brought her back to the fact that Dilandau had walked in _coated _with blood and, from the stench of it, bile, and had spoken of two of her friends that had been captured. It couldn't have been Van; there was no way he'd be able to pilot for a least another week, not if Millerna was around and had anything to say about it anyways. Looking at the male, Folken seemed to know exactly what she was thinking about, for a moment later her shook his head and sighed lightly.

"I'm afraid the battle was a serious one," Folken commented quietly, leaning back in his chair and placing his hands in steeple position. "Several of Allen's men were severely hurt, and several Austurian soldiers were killed. The two Dilandau referred to…a young cat girl, and the Princess Millerna."

A strange sense of dread filled her chest. Why had Allen allowed Merle and Millerna to infiltrate such a dangerous place? What had he been thinking? Millerna was the best medic they had around; if people got hurt then what would happen to them?

"I'm afraid I can provide you with no further information," Folken said quietly. "Now, as for other topics that need to be addressed…"

"Other topics?" Hitomi muttered quietly, tilting her head just slightly. Worry had her wringing her hands in the shirt she wore even more so than beforehand, and had her chewing a bit of her lip to a painful point. What had happened to Allen? Would he be alright? And what about Merle and Millerna; what would happen to them? It was her fault they were in the predicament they were in, for if she had simply remained a good girl who liked the good boys then everything would be fine. As it were hearts and minds could be so traitorous; she'd be damned, literally, if she ever let what she wanted get in the way of what was best.

Van and Allen, as well as their safety and the safety and wellbeing of the crew, were needed; Dilandau was a thrill that had been wanted, and now that she had gotten it she didn't like it.

It was a shame, though, that she had to constantly tell herself and remind herself of that.

Something had to be wrong with her head; maybe the hit she'd taken had done more damage than she'd thought.

"Hitomi? Did you hear me?"

Shaking her head with a small gasp she looked up to Folken, finding he didn't look aggravated with her spaced moment. "I'm sorry!" She said quickly, uncertain of whether it had been something incredibly important or not.

"There's nothing to worry about," Folken said calmly, "I merely stated that tomorrow you'll have some new clothing to wear. We can't have you wearing pants and a shirt for meeting General Adelphos, after all, so tomorrow morning I'll come round to escort you to the seamstress; she has some dresses that we feel will fit you well."

"Right…" Hitomi said quietly, nodding softly as she did so. She _hated _wearing dresses, but still…she didn't have much of a choice. She had begun to prefer wearing pants to wearing her uniform skirt; anything that hindered Dilandau was always good. Wasn't like she had her uniform anyways, now that she thought about it; she merely had her running gear and whatever Folken provided her with. A thought struck her a second later; one that told her to be thankful for what she had been given already. She could be trapped in a small room with no bathroom, and no handle on the door; she'd end up relying on them for _everything _instead of just food and water. Sure, she was fortunate to have Folken allowing her to use his room, but she still had the freedom to walk from the room and into the study of her own will. She didn't have to ask to read anything in his bookshelves, she didn't have to ask to be brought to a bathroom.

Why these thoughts had popped into her head at that given moment was unknown, but as she peered at Folken she became even more thankful for the male's presence.

"It's been a long day, wouldn't you say?" Folken finally said a moment later. "You should get some rest; I'll be here if you need anything," he commented quietly. Hitomi nodded, taking this as her cue to go to bed whether she wanted to or not. He probably had a fair amount to work on anyways, so she muttered her 'Goodnight' and disappeared into the darkness of the bedroom she inhabited. The door slid shut behind her near silently, her feet brought her to the edge of the bed where she crawled into the comfort of the blankets, and she stared at the ceiling.

* * *

Dilandau glared at the wine bottle on the small table before him, wanting nothing more than to throw it at someone and feel the satisfaction of…of…

"Damnit…" he muttered quietly, a gloved finger moving up to trace the still tender scab covering the wound Van had left not too long ago. Under normal circumstances the young commander was capable of keeping his mind focused on a certain line of events, and if there were multiple things that needed to be thought out he did it one by one from greatest to least in matters of importance. Yet, as he sat sprawled out in his chair, clad in a fresh clean suit, all his thoughts were jumbled. There was no way to contain the important thoughts, but the thoughts of his prize always found a way to pervade even a most serious thought.

Previously he had been pondering what would happen when General Adelphos arrived; would he be giving him new and important orders? Or perhaps new weapons or soldiers to pick out? But midway through the pondering of everything they had to do Hitomi popped up in his mind's eye. He had never found anyone that was worthy of more than a fling, so he was uncertain, almost, on how to proceed appropriately. Of course there was no choice for her; he'd have her forever, one way or another, but he wanted to at least _attempt _to make her want to stay, instead of being held captive. He figured it would be more enjoyable for Hitomi to be able to walk down the hall and to the library of her own accord, instead of being escorted there like a prisoner. It was a change in direction, yes, and one that he wasn't too fond of, but Guimel's words had struck a chord.

So much so that the young teen had gotten a mouthful of fist.

Yet, the male had stated that willing participants were always more enjoyable…

Dilandau could only partially agree with him. It would indeed be far more enjoyable if she decided that he was the god of her world, for the sheer fact that he would be able to rub another defeat in Van's face. But…he couldn't help but wish for her to be a little less accommodating. As long as she fought a little, as long as she tried to deny her obvious want and even _need _for him, he would be able to extort the pleasure of controlling her for who knew how long.

Whether his Slayers knew it or not, he took their words to value, as long as they actually had some weight. Matters on females, for example, he would value. Naturally no one spoke of this out loud as he was their commander, but some might pick up on the subtle changes and be able to attribute them to their opinions. Like Guimel.

Another person that seemed to have this down pact was Dallet: the male had the suave, gentlemanly manners that earned him willing ladies interesting in romantics. Dilandau earned whoever he felt like because he was the commander; he was _The _Dilandau Albatou, leader of the Dragonslayers of Zaibach. Handsome, powerful and smooth; _every _woman wanted him. But there was a difference between the girl he chose, and the girls that went with the others; the women wanted him so they could say 'I was chosen to bed Dilandau-sama!' The women that wanted his soldiers seemed to be on the same line, but found more romance under it all.

Even Miguel had found that gem he called romance. No other would do; just _her._

Hitomi would be his gem, whether she wanted to be or not, Dilandau knew.

"That girl…" he muttered quietly, standing up slowly and wandering about the room. He refused to admit he was pacing, for some reason or another, and had decided that he was inspecting his space for flaws, or perhaps hidden messes. Why, however, was beyond him still. It was something to do to keep his mind off her.

So, naturally, his mind focused more on her than before.

Such as the kiss that she had eagerly responded to, and the look on her face when Chesta ran in declaring that Allen had come to play the knight in shining armor. He couldn't decide whether she had looked horrified, relieved, or simply stunned. He preferred to think that his kiss had thrown her into a spiral, but knew it wasn't it. Hitomi had looked horrified, his gut knew it, but was uncertain if it was a good horrified or not. A good horrified would be that she had enjoyed the kiss tremendously and didn't like the fact that Allen had shown up. The bad would be she had enjoyed the kiss much to her disdain and Allen had showed up while she was trapped in front of him.

"How could one little girl cause so much trouble?" He hissed suddenly, scowling at the reflection in the mirror he had stopped in front of. "She's just a girl; nothing special about her…"

Oh, he knew he was lying to himself.

But what else was he supposed to do?

'Maybe I could try a different tactic?'

But what other tactic could he use? He was certain she would put up her guard if he attempted to romantically woo her; she'd be suspicious of that he was certain…there would be no forcing anything either.

Without thinking his hand lashed out and grabbed the bottle from the table he had passed once again. He took a long drink, the potent taste slithered over his tongue before sloshing down his throat and into his gut. "Just a little more…and I'll have her wrapped around my pinky…"

Or so he hoped.

* * *

_One…two…three…_

Nothing what changing as he stood stalk still amongst the mist.

_Four…five…six…_

Did Hitomi count when she did this too? Or did she focus on the swinging, instead of the number of swings?

_Seven…eight…nine…_

"This isn't working!" He growled angrily, opening his head and letting out a frustrated sigh. Merle had gone with Allen, saying she had the best nose and ears out of anyone aboard the Crusade, and that she'd be able to find Hitomi easily. Merle hadn't returned.

Allen had returned, though injured quite badly, and with no Millerna about to perform any miracles, things had been a little tough. Thankfully, Gaddess had been capable of halting the bleeding, so some stitches, gauze and bed rest and the Knight would once again wield his sword. Yet that did nothing to stop the sting that the whole Crusade crew felt: their comrade, Ort, didn't survive. The sword had stuck through not only both lungs but the abdominal aorta as well. He had managed to get back to the Crusade, with Allen, before he had passed away.

"I can't give up…they're _counting _on me," Van finally muttered again, shaking his head of the thoughts and sighing. Focusing on the general direction in which he had tossed the item in question he shut his eyes once again. Carefully he focused on the image of her pendant in his mind's eye, focusing on the image long enough to start the process before remembering what the item looked like. The shining disc flashed into his mind, he remembered the way it shown like a rainbow when exposed to light, and how he could see his reflection in the strange material. He remembered the feel of it; one side was incredibly smooth, while the other was smooth but had strange things painted on it. If he remembered correctly Hitomi had called the item in question a "See-Dee" or something to that extent.

What the "See-dee" was for was beyond him for he had never really asked. But he guessed someone could somehow hear something on it; he had seen her put it in a strange contraption once, and put something strange on his head. Yet he was uncertain; he had never asked anything about the strange items she carried, something that he wished he had done…

_One…two…three…_

'Remember the colors; like the rainbows that would follow a Fanelian spring shower.'

_Four…five…six…_

'Remember the feel…like glass…'

He stopped, his eyes flashing open when the pendant in his mind swung to the left, and stalked over to where he figured it to be. A heavy sigh left his lips as he pictured up the empty bottle; someone had been drinking and simply left a bottle in the royal gardens? Strange…

"I guess I still have a lot of work to do…but at least I found something I was thinking of…" he growled, trying to feel some sense of accomplishment and failing. He had to wonder how long it had taken Hitomi to get the hang of it, but couldn't compare the two properly; Hitomi had visions without her pendant. He didn't.

Dropping onto his rear by a nearby fountain he sighed heavily. The bottle made a soft tinkling as he placed it on the marble edge, and when he gazed into the reflection in the water he barely recognized the person looking back at him. He was slightly paler, but there were dark circles under his eyes; he had hardly slept a wink since Hitomi's capture for he could only guess what was happening to her. This in turn made him feel even more useless than he already was, and every time he thought back to that night it only got worse. The stitches in his chest prevented him from doing anything strenuous if he tried he'd rip them right open. He had already done so before, when he had disobeyed Millerna's orders and tried to pilot Escaflowne to find his friend.

He couldn't even get Escaflowne to stand before the stitches tore and he began to ooze blood all over the new shirt Merle had carefully picked out for him. That wasn't nearly as bad as Millerna chastising him like a child in front of everyone, nor as bad as dear Merle yelling at him and worrying over him.

"It's really tiring…being worried about…" he said quietly, not glancing to the newcomer as he walked over carefully. "You shouldn't be out of bed, what with the amount of blood you've lost…" he added a second after Allen sat down near him.

"I can say the same for you," Allen replied calmly, "At least I haven't ripped my stitches," he added with a small smirk. "Don't worry too much…Hitomi can handle herself, I'm sure," he said quietly, "and Merle too; she's a tough little kitten."

"There any news about Millerna-hime?"

"Not that I know of, but no one's making an effort to inform me of every political maneuver; as far as they're concerned if I get wind of anything I'll try and go attack again."

"Why'd you allow Millerna and Merle to go in the first place?" Van asked after a moment's pause. "It makes no sense to me…"

"It wasn't in the original plan, if you'll kindly remember," Allen sighed, leaning his chin against his palm as he glanced up to the sky. "Millerna bullied her way on, saying that they'd need a doctor to organize the wounded, and Merle was going to do quite a few nasty things to us with those claws of hers. Anyways, Natal is important to me and I didn't want her being eaten by an angry kitten."

Van couldn't help but chuckle lightly. Allen was correct in assuming Merle would attempt to devour his owl, Natal, but that was back when they figured they had enough soldiers to launch a sneak attack and locate Hitomi, the same way they had located Van. Burst in, cause havoc, locate weakest soldier, use him, get Hitomi and haul ass out of there.

It failed miserably.

No one had expected such a violent battle; sure they had been expecting some injuries, but casualties? They had made a serious miscalculation and they had paid for it. Now Ort was dead, several foot soldiers were dead, many were wounded, and Millerna and Merle were trapped on the godforsaken Vione. He knew no harm would come of Millerna, but what of Merle? Maybe, if the King played his cards correctly he'd be able to rescue not only Millerna but the other two as well? King Aston certainly knew of the circumstances regarding Hitomi's disappearance, so surely he would understand that it was imperative to retrieve her?

"I know what you're thinking," Allen said calmly, "It's highly unlikely, but maybe luck will smile on us for once?"

"I've been practicing hard," Van said quietly, "But working with items is difficult…if you're not too tired I'd like to practice dowsing with you…"

"Dowsing, huh…?" Allen replied with a quiet mutter. "Alright, just give me some time to get to somewhere."


	9. Dreaming

**A/N: **Incredible enough, there's finally a new chapter. Yes, seriously, a new chapter. It's been so long and everything's been so busy. When I think I've got time everything gets turned upside down; when I think I have no time, everything gets flipped up and I have no desire to write. It's been a while and that's aggravating. I'm not promising updates every other day; but yesterday, I took the time to actually reread the crap I had written and I did not like it, at all.

Hitomi just wasn't acting right. I had to fix that.

**Disclaimer: **This is a story, meaning this is fictional. Keeping that in mind, Ladies and Gentlemen, I will have you know I condemn abusive relationships and, should you be in one, I will demand of you to get out of it. Abuse comes in many different sizes and shapes, so just because a person isn't getting physically hit doesn't mean they aren't being tormented. That being said, I would also like to point out that, as I prefer to keep characters as in character as possible, this is a true to form creation of what might happen should the duo be paired together, _ever_. Dilandau is not all sunshine and daisies and Hitomi is not going to swoon over the man that's done such horrible things.

**For those not caring to read the above statement should know: abuse = _bad_. Dilandau= abusive. Dilandau + Hitomi= a lot of mental stress, fear and everything _bad_.**

This is not**__**going to be a cheery, happy go-lucky-everyone loves each other story. It might not be brutal and terrifying but it'll be closer to a more..._realistic _view, and that's frightening enough.

* * *

Uncertain of what time it was, Hitomi rolled over, pulling her knees up closer to her chest as she stared into the darkness. Dallet and Chesta be damned; there was _nothing _worthwhile about Dilandau that would ever make her desire him. Her companions for the past few weeks could be dead, their fluids coating Dilandau, and she'd even thought to give the man a chance to prove himself. What a fool she'd been. He was nothing short of abusive and dangerous, and time and time again she had to tell herself this.

"Why don't you get it, Hitomi?" She bit out to herself. "He's not good…he's the enemy and that makes him even more dangerous, especially to you."

Her friends had risked their lives, their safety, to come and get her and she was doing nothing. She had to do something, _anything_, to help them…but how? And what could she do? There had to be some place on the Vione where they would never think to look for them, never even imagine them getting to…

Hitomi pondered this thought carefully, sitting up and pulling a pillow into her nervous embrace. Was Allen alright? What about Gaddess? This fear and uncertainty was killing her; her heart was squeezing in panic and she had to resist the urge to pace. She really, really had to run, or something similar. She couldn't think straight until the built up energy was expended. Nervously, she looked to the door, wondering if only moments or complete hours had passed. Would Folken still be there, working on something? Would he be sleeping at the desk?

'_No, I can't take that chance just yet,' _she decided, shaking her head as she slipped from the bed and began to pace. _'No, tomorrow, when we go for the dress fittings, I'll look around again. I think the vent system is easy enough to access, and big enough for us to move through, but getting into it will be a problem…I need to figure out if it's screwed in or built in…' _

Knowing she had to do something managed to get the cogs turning again. She had a lot to worry about now; Dilandau's behavior, meeting this Adelphos man…

'_I know I shouldn't be glad for this…I know this is a bad sign, I do,' _she swore to herself, _'But…if Adelphos is already willing to 'adopt' me, then he must be under the impression, possibly, that I'm already on their side? Why would he adopt a prisoner if not for that reason? Or…perhaps it's just to keep me 'safe'? I appear to have been the biggest cause of all their trouble, so maybe they want to find a way to use that?' _Pondering as she paced she put that thought aside for later. She'd find out why, sooner or later; she knew she wasn't safe, but in terms of everything that _could _be happening, this was the safest option for now.

Perhaps, if she could find some way of appealing to his better side, Adelphos would feel more inclined to leave her be. If possible, she would use the thought of the Mystic Moon curse against anyone who tried to court her, effectively scaring them off. She would do anything she needed to assure no one unpleasant or unwelcome would get through. She wouldn't just be a prisoner in a room; if they gave her any sort of freedom she would take it cautiously and never take it for granted.

Steeling her resolve, she smirked faintly in the darkness, tapping her chin. If possible, she could act as a spy; if she could relay any information, any at all, to Van and Allen…maybe, just maybe, this wasn't such a bad set up. She was, after all, in the perfect position.

First things first, she had to get down to Merle and Millerna. She could inform them of her plan and, when they returned to Palas, they could tell the others. Hopefully, she'd be allotted enough freedom to walk around on her own, maybe even glimpse the outside world. If that was made possible and she was trusted enough, perhaps she'd be able to use Natal to send messages back and forth…

No, Natal would be too obvious. It would have to be a regular bird…well, she'd trust them to figure out the messenger birds. She just had to get into position where she could actually do this. It was a big leap and a big danger, but she was willing to do it.

Heart feeling a little tougher, she crawled back into the bed, snuggling in with every intent on getting at least a little bit of sleep so she wouldn't look like a zombie when Folken came to get her.

* * *

It didn't even seem like moments before her body was being shaken awake. Hitomi groaned faintly, desiring the sleep that had been denied by her worry and plotting, before rolling over and ignoring the incessant prodding.

"Hitomi, I know you're tired…"

She knew that voice, and how soothing it was; he didn't seem to realize the calm quiet he approached her with was working against his favor. Closing her blurry eyes, she snuggled deeper into the pillow in her arms, letting sleep tickle her senses again before being shaken again.

"Please, Hitomi, I promise if you're still tired afterwards you can sleep all you wish, but you can't leave the seamstress waiting," Folken said, successfully dragging the sleepy girl from her playful sleep. Her groaning body sat up slowly, rubbing her eyes as she lazily crept out from beneath the warmth that had cocooned her. Prowling almost cat like to edge of the bed, she managed to get to a standing position on her own; taking one step proved the pants had unrolled again as she was sent lurching forward.

"Thanks…" she mumbled sleepily to Folken, straightening herself out and rolling up the pant legs again. "Okay…I think I'm ready," she muttered, still half asleep. Feeling more like a slug, or maybe her neighbor's overweight house cat, Hitomi followed Folken from the room. "How long do these things usually take? Can't you just take my measurements and give them to her?" She mumbled before yawning widely.

"It could take a while, depending on what they've got and what goes well," Folken replied calmly, "But I assure you, they're wonderful women. You won't have to worry."

Grumbling incomprehensible words in what she knew to be poor English, Hitomi hurried along, eyes clearer and mind more alert and focused. She recalled, vaguely, as her eyes fell upon a vent nearby, her mission this time around. Though the halls were dark, her eyesight had adjusted enough that she could tell the difference between dark and darker. Still, that didn't mean she was close enough to tell whether the vent opening was actually screwed in or not. Lacking eagle eyes, Hitomi settled for simply following the male, starting to feel more upbeat and struggling to hide it. She couldn't have them catching onto anything.

'_Dilandau always puts me in a bad mood, where is he when I actually want him around?' _Dangerous thoughts, truly, but if she could count on him for anything it was a bad day. A part of her felt guilty, and then another part of her reminded her of the wretched stench of blood and bile hanging around him just last night: handsome visage did _not _make up for poor character.

"Here we are," Folken said and Hitomi easily turned her attention to the door this time. She hadn't been so lost in thought that she hadn't known where she was going this time. "Don't worry, there's much Dilandau must do today so he probably won't be bothering you at all," he stated, ushering her into the room.

Three women were waiting patiently, dressed in darker colors with their hair pulled away from their faces. Two older brunettes and a blond, all three had blue eyes and a fair amount of gray in their hair; beyond them and the padded stool she'd probably be set on, was her first, almost blinding, glimpse of daylight for a week. She winced at first, even though the view was blocked by a few layers of sheer curtains it was still quite bright, and made her way over to the women.

"Hmm…smaller than I thought," the first woman, the taller of the two brunettes, tutted before motioning that Hitomi was to strip down to her essentials. The door had shut, leaving the four females within, so Hitomi, slightly embarrassed, pulled the shirt off and then the pants, folding them compulsively before handing them off.

"Up onto the stool, Dearie," the blond said as she began to sort through more dark fabrics. "What do you think, Maeve? Dark green or dark gold?"

"Let's start with the green, to really bring out those eyes," Maeve, or so Hitomi assumed, answered. "Come now, Dear, stand tall," she continued, patting her back. "We've lots of work to do, so let's get it going!"

Hitomi didn't like the sound of that one bit.

An hour later and she had wished she'd just ignored Folken's incessant prodding to get out of bed: her back was aching from being kept ramrod straight and her feet were aching from the uncomfortable stool she was kept on. She had to give the women credit, though; not once had she been stabbed with a needle or pin, or poked with the sharp end of the scissors they were using. Meticulous in their work, Hitomi remained still as a doll for the sake of getting it this over sooner. Her stomach was making the type of gurgling that you felt but didn't hear and she was wishing for a hot cup of tea, or maybe some blueberry juice…

Another hour and a half and she was finding it very hard to remain standing perfectly straight _and _still, let alone remaining _awake_. Her eyes were becoming heavier, proving she hadn't gotten the 5 or 8 hours she needed; her stomach was growling loud enough for them to know about it, to which she was only partially embarrassed. She wished Folken had at least given her a small snack before tossing her in with the obsessive women. Every pin, every mark, every cut had to be _just so_, or they would have to go through it all over again. They seemed to fancy the green they'd picked out quite well; paired with the black expanse of the rest of the garments, and the golden trim that followed, Hitomi had to wonder if maybe _all _of Zaibach wore similar clothing.

It would prove to be creepy enough if they did…and she wouldn't be surprised at all. These were the warhounds that raised _Dilandau_, after all; to manage that, even in the slightest, you had to be stark raving mad yourself.

"Alright, Hitomi," Maeve finally said, dusting her hands of invisible dust as she watched the girl practically crumple. "You did real well for us, Dearie."

"I didn't want to ruin anything," Hitomi said, stifling a yawn behind her hand before accepting the pants and shirt she'd come in. "Thank you for helping me," she said, as she looked at the spread of clothing that had been picked out. Dresses of varying lengths, some lighter and simple while some were that same heavy weight, constricting fabric that made up the Slayers' uniforms.

"Our pleasure, dear," the Blond, Hitomi never did get her name, said with a kind smile. "I believe Dilandau-sama is here to escort you back to your quarters now…"

Hitomi's heart shuddered, just slightly, as she turned from the women to look at the form leaning against the doorway. His face was blank and that in itself was a bit startling. Hadn't Folken said Dilandau would be busy? Why was he here?

"Come on," Dilandau said quietly, motioning to the hall. Without even realizing it, Hitomi's feet had started moving, almost of their own accord. Despite her firm decision earlier that morning, Dilandau still frightened her into a scared little kitten.

She had to work on that.

"Have you been provided with appropriate clothing?" He asked, almost lightly and conversationally. Hitomi, had she never met Dilandau and never known him prior to this, would've thought so too…but she knew the threatening underlying tones well enough to know such was not the case.

"Y-yes, I've got plenty…"

"Good. Can't have you tarnishing our appearances," he muttered as a hand lightly tapped the scar over his cheek. "By any chance, do any of them actually make you look like a woman?"

"Why do you always have to ruin every moment I'm around you by being a jerk!?" She bit out before she'd realized it. Mentally chastising herself, Hitomi wondered what was getting into her body lately that she seemed to be losing such control over it; first her feet moving now her mouth? God, she wasn't sure what would happen but she had to reign herself in…and quick.

Yet, surprisingly, Dilandau merely looked at her from the corner of his eye as he paused, finger tapping his lip lightly and a thoughtful expression clouding the eye she could see. He turned to her fully, for a moment that seemed to drag on like a year, seeming to ponder something before a spark lit his eyes up like pools of gasoline and a smirk quirked his lips in a rather pleasant manner.

"You're quite right, _Hi-to-mi_," he began, as those seconds seemed to slow even further, "I've been most rude to you, haven't I, Pet? Yes, I hope you can find it in you to _forgive_ me; I assure you, I'll _try _to behave." He began to step closer after that, his smirk slipping just slightly and almost, _almost_, appearing more like a sincere smile.

Hitomi knew she should run. He was getting closer, closing the 6 pace gap between them slowly…too slowly; he seemed more like a predator slowly stalking its prey. Hitomi knew he was up to something. She knew she was in danger, now, more than ever, which meant she had to run! Why weren't her feet moving properly!? Why weren't they responding to her mind's order to _move_?!

"I was informed," Dilandau began suddenly, seemingly towering over her frame when he came to a stop, "I'd left some rather _horrid _bruises on you…"

"I…" Hitomi stuttered and croaked, her voice failing. Was her whole body turning against her now?!

Dilandau didn't bother to heed anything she was about to say, it seemed, for he _gently_ gripped her arm, bringing it up between them and rolling the cuff back until he could see, for himself, the purples and greens of the contusion he'd left. Tilting his head, and tracing the slightly heated flesh with a warm, gloved finger, he investigated it carefully before his eyes flashed up to her face.

'_What is he doing? What is he thinking? Man, oh, man…what I wouldn't give to have taken Psychology last semester! I need to know what he's thinking! I need to stay three paces ahead of him!' _Still, her mind and her body didn't seem to feel like interacting and clicking properly that day. When Dilandau smiled, she did nothing, unaware that her facial expressions –panic, worry, fear, wonder, amazement, shock- were all Dilandau ever needed.

He was a hardened soldier, a brutal killer and a hot-headed predator; he could read her so easily and she was quite expressive…

Before Hitomi realized what had happened, her arm had been lifted and, with his eyes still boring holes into hers, Dilandau's head dipped.

Crimson eyes, darkened and half-lidded, watched her reaction as the light press of warm lips to her bruised flesh left her mind reeling. Surely, she must've fallen asleep while the dresses were being worked on; that had to be it. There was simply no way for her mind to process this thought rationally.

Dilandau Albatou had _kissed _the bruise he'd left on her arm.

What a dream.

'_Yes, it's a dream. It has to be…this weightless feeling doesn't happen in real life, which means this is a dream and this is how I _want _Dilandau to act! That's it, that's all this is; a dream!' _Hitomi, fully aware that her face was heating with an embarrassment of a more positive kind, merely watched that fire flare in his eyes. Dream Dilandau really did have beautiful eyes and such a handsome face…and, she realized when she felt a solid warmth against her cheek, the way his hand cupped her cheek so gently was so perfect!

"Hitomi…you'll forgive me, right? For being so rude and for upsetting you?"

Why were his eyes so mesmerizing? She could barely register anything aside from the vague words floating from his lips. Mutely, for her voice had died somewhere in her throat, she nodded like the lost lamb she was.

"I'm truly glad," he muttered, darker than she figured her Dream Dilandau would.

Dream Dilandau's lips were incredibly smooth, Hitomi realized in the next moment. Mind catching up, she found herself pressed tightly in an iron embrace that was no longer soft as it should be. His grip was tight, but not _too _tight, but heavy…restricting...she felt like she had been stuffed in a cage far too small. His lips, firm against hers, were warm, almost too warm, and when his tongue finally parted her lips and dove in she found he tasted of something like coffee.

'_Senses are not good, Hitomi,' _that little voice in the back of her head reasoned, before she began to squeal faintly. That little warning voice was right; unless she was suffering another horrible vision, Hitomi didn't dream with additional senses like taste.

Blinking the strange haze from her mind she let out a frightened squeal, pushing against the solid chest as his kiss deepened. It wasn't a bad kiss, really, but the muddled emotions attached to the man plundering her mouth so expertly were nothing short of dangerous.

"Dilandau, what are you…"

Hitomi would've cheered if possible as a sense of relief tickled the edge of her panic stricken senses. Folken's voice was soothing and welcoming, promising her protection from the devil holding her. Lips free from Dilandau as he pulled away, smirking in triumph and something else that left her stomach churning in an unpleasant mixture of…of…of something _she didn't know._

"Your Dragonslayers are awaiting you in your throne room, Dilandau," Folken said as the male, without being told to do so, stepped away from Hitomi. Even Folken was looking at him oddly by that point. "…I suggest you join them and inform them we are to follow proper proceedings: General Adelphos will be remaining with us for several days."

"Of course, Stratego," Dilandau said flippantly, "My men know what to do, of course, but I'll drill them to assure their performance. 'Til later, _Hi-to-mi,_" Dilandau all but chimed, stalking down the hall with a curious spring in his step.

"Hitomi? Are you alright?" Folken asked softly, before taking the arm that was still partially outstretched in an unusual manner.

"Y-yes…I'm…I'm fine," she said stupidly, blinking in a daze of confusion. "I'm really…_fine_…" It didn't seem right to her to say that after being accosted by Dilandau in the hallway, but it was nothing short of the truth. "He was…_polite._"

Folken's brows contorted in a frown and his lips thinned slightly as he began to ponder these words himself. "I'm sorry I was late to pick you up," he said after a moment's pause. "I'd be careful about him, Hitomi…"

"I know," she said after taking a deep, deep breath. She turned her attention down to the bruise, envisioning his lips there again and still capable of feeling the press of his lips. He must've been plotting something, she figured, else he would never have done that. She wasn't going to get used to this new foothold she found herself on; Dilandau was a predator and they thrived off of watching their prey flounder about. Give the toy a steady platform and then rip the support out from under their feet, just to perform it all over again.

That was what Dilandau was about. Build up, tear down, build up, tear down: she'd never be able to get a solid grip on anything herself when he was around and that was _bad_. She had to be strong and stable. She couldn't let him get to her.

"I'm a bit hungry, Folken-san," she admitted when her furiously grumbling stomach wrenched her from her spiraling thoughts.

With a gentle smile, Folken pressed a hand to her upper back, leading her forward finally. "I'm sure you are; I would've made more time for you to eat, but the seamstresses can't be here long."

"That's alright," Hitomi said quickly, "I could've gotten up earlier, but…I just had trouble sleeping," she muttered sheepishly.

Wandering down the hall together, Hitomi allowed herself a soft sigh of relief. Whatever Dilandau was planning, she was on to him, at least, and with Folken thinking the same thing she was certain everything would be okay. That thought alone brought a ghost of a smile to her face.

"I'll have to leave you in the room, just for a little while, while you eat," Folken began once they reached his room again. "Later on tonight, I'll instruct you on proper table etiquette and verse you on some important topics to pay attention to."

"Folken-san?"

"General Adelphos isn't the only one coming, Hitomi, so you should pay attention to the people around you and the topics they speak of."

Nodding, Hitomi stepped past him, watching him smile softly in a strange manner before the door slid shut, separating them and leaving her to the slightly uncomfortable silence of his lab. Hurrying on into the office, and then into her bedroom, she found her breakfast on the table, still steaming hot. Still the same old oatmeal and fruit preserves, with some milk…

"Wait…did I just think of this as _my _room?" She said quietly, tapping her chin lightly in thought. "I did…I'm sure of it…" she pondered. Tossing that thought around, she found nothing wrong with it; that, to her, was a problem in and of itself. This wasn't _her_ room, she just stayed in it…but, she was the only one who stayed in it…

'_No. Not going there. Not now. I have this time to myself, I need to eat, sleep and think about how to get down to Millerna and Merle before they get taken away! I need to work out the plan!'_

Fortifying her mind was easy, keeping her mind strong was hard. She would have to be brave for everyone. She could do it.

"Just as long as Dilandau doesn't go doing anything weird again…" she muttered as she dropped into the chair. She was tired. Heck, she was beyond tired: plain out exhaustion was far more accurate. Raising her hand to her forehead, she found she was still warmer than usual. She had to do something about that; she wouldn't be left alone if she got really sick.

Instead of wasting more time, Hitomi began to eat, deciding she would figure everything out once she'd gotten some extra rest


	10. Knowledge is Power

**A/N: **An event practically unheard of, I've begun this tenth chapter immediately after finishing chapter 9. Dear me, it's almost exciting!

* * *

Humming a little diddy of his own creation, Dilandau stalked down the empty hall with confident, pleased strides. His precious pet had responded well to his actions, far better than he had anticipated, even. While he knew that Folken would be keeping a closer eye on her, and him, and he knew that Hitomi knew that something was up, he also knew how to go about his work properly. Sure, they could suspect something all they wished, but without solid proof there would be no argument. He wasn't about to just give anyone a reason to overreact any longer.

He would wait, he figured, until the most perfect time, and then rip her legs right out from under her.

Stalking into his throne room with no warning at all, he paused by one Slayer, Beo, if he remembered correctly, as he hurriedly straightened out his jacket. His fist swung out, catching the boy in the chin and sending him stumbling back, but nothing more; Dilandau was in a good mood, after all. Whatever Beo's reason was, Dilandau didn't care. If he was straightening out his jacket it left two possibilities, as far as Dilandau was concerned. First, Beo had been _late_, meaning he had slept in late, meaning he had rushed to get here; Second, Beo had been incompetent and messed up such a simple task as fastening buttons.

Both warranted a good punishment.

"As I'm sure you're aware," he began as he stalked up the steps to his throne and turning to eye the 14 soldiers before him, "General Adelphos will be rendezvousing with the Vione the day after tomorrow. This is an extended stay to monitor the state of the Vione, to investigate the state of our melefs and weapons, as well as take care of some other minor technicalities. This, in turn, means you _must _be on your best behavior. We will be the welcoming squadron, so make sure your uniforms are perfect and your swords sharp and clean." He dropped into his throne at that, leaning his cheek on his hand before smirking with a huff. "You know the drill; head to the training room and get to it. Gatti! I'm leaving you and Giffen in charge of overseeing the drills!" He barked, watching as the already straight bodies seemed to straighten even further, if possible.

The resounding "Yes, Sir!" filled the room, followed by the precise movements of his soldiers filing orderly from the room in pairs. The only two who remained, the two who stood stiffly by the sides of his throne, were stiff and blank, looking forward with well trained eyes.

"Tell me, Fargo," he began, looking to his left first, to the only Slayer competent enough in his abilities to be allowed in with glasses, "What's the best way you can think of to surprise a Lady?"

Oh, he knew he was going to get reprimanded again, or even severely punished for his plans, but it was just too good to pass up. Folken knew him well, but he still underestimated his drive; Hitomi was tough to crack if he left too many openings, but if he times things correctly he wouldn't have to worry about his precious pet.

"Sir? The best way…?"

"Yes." My, he was feeling quite in good spirits to let so much just get right by him.

"Well, I haven't had much experience in that area, but my Mother and cousins like getting flowers…"

"Flowers, hmm? And what about you, Devon?"

"Ah…I'd have to agree that flowers are a good way to surprise a lady…perhaps, if you were to find out her interests it would be easier to find a way to surprise her?"

Dilandau pondered this quietly, foot tapping softly against the floor in a matching pattern to the finger tapping on the throne's arm rest. If he could find out more of what she were interested in, he could not only use it against her, and therefore Van, but also figure the variable into his little game. He would appeal to the female if he could provide her with something that held her interest; even if she struggled, he would find a way to bend her.

"What kinds of flowers?" He pondered, shifting in his seat as the two males moved to stand at the foot of the slightly raised platform he sat on.

"It depends, really, on what kind of girl," Fargo began hesitantly, uncertain of whether he meant it to be answered. Motioning for him to continue, Dilandau thought a bit about it. "If she's more upper class, she's going to prefer the finer flowers, like roses…"

"Every girl likes roses," Devon added, "But girls who are simpler and less primped often find similar flowers more appealing…"

"Suppose she doesn't prefer flowers, what then?"

"You might try some kind of sweet? I think perfume would be a little too personal…"

"Hmm…your input has given me an idea," Dilandau muttered softly, "You're dismissed. Go ready yourselves, and make sure your barracks are clean; this is a full inspection."

"Yes, sir!"

Left alone in the room, Dilandau stretched almost catlike, content in his earlier victory and the ones that would be sure to follow. He knew Hitomi wouldn't go down without a fight, which was probably what thrilled him the best, however…he didn't have the time for a more involved plot against her. The more damage he got in _before _Adelphos got any ideas, the better. If he had any luck at all he'd be able to sway the female more towards his field within the next few days.

Still, the problem was glaringly obvious: Folken would be getting in the way even if Adelphos decided to give him permission to court her. Oh, he _knew_ that little bit of information. He was insulted and yet, at the same time, relieved that Folken thought him a mindless brute whose only true knowledge was on the battlefield. Apparently the elder man didn't realize every aspect of life was a battlefield and, if nothing else, Dilandau prided himself on all forms of warfare. There were few battlefields he was incapable of defeating with ease and he would prove it.

'_If I know the generals, they'll test Hitomi to gauge her worth before even thinking of the legal documents,' _he pondered quietly, thinking things out quickly. _'Alright, I have a 5 day window to work with, from today. That leaves just over four days to pull this off, but not even two days to really get the most in. With Adelphos here I won't be able to engage her as often as I would like…I'll need to decide the most important aspects of my plan and get them rolling. After that, it'll take another week for the papers to be finalized…but chances she'll still be here on the Vione are slim…' _

There was a chance, he knew, that once the papers are signed and all parties content Hitomi would leave with Adelphos. This would put her too far out of reach to properly continue; he didn't have much time to work with. However, should something unexpected happen…well, there was no guaranteeing she'd be pulled from the Vione. She was doing rather well here and, while the Vione was primarily a battleship, there were no fools powerful enough to truly cause problems for it. Folken was acting as her current guardian, was well respected and closely connected to the Emperor; he was also accredited with the guymelefs and stealth cloaks they used…

If, by some chance, Hitomi was capable of sharing knowledge of her planet's power…naturally, she would be near Folken to allow the man to work things out. All in all, a perfect deal; Dilandau would get plenty more time to sway his pet permanently and Zaibach would become even more powerful.

Grinning as his gloved fingers trailed his bottom lip, Dilandau stood, biting the appendage slightly before stalking towards the door. He was already under her skin…just a few more stabs and twists and he'd be under her muscles too.

* * *

Van Fanel may have been a young king, and a young king of a fallen country at that, but he knew better than to assume any action he committed in Asturia would be let off. Fanelia, he knew, was nowhere near the cultural hub that Palas was; Fanelia was a country landscape sort of place, almost hidden in the mountains and forests of the wild. The people were kind and hardworking, holding a special respect with the animals around…

Asturia, while it did have its fair share of country land, was more…how would one put it? Based on never content 'civilized' humans? Palas, a beautiful trading city on the ocean, was vibrant and full of life of a different sort. The atmosphere was something he was still unused to, even after the time he'd been there.

So, perhaps, that was why, when he went before the King on summons, he found himself kneeling with Allen Schezar, albeit with some difficulty with his wounds. Maybe, despite his royal upbringings, he felt outclassed by the man before him? Or, perhaps it was out of consideration for Allen and his wishes that he did this.

"Need I remind you of the severity of your crimes?" The king all but growled, keeping his temper well but the anger and, more importantly, the _fear_ shown in his eyes. "This attack against Zaibach could endanger the treaty between Asturia and Zaibach! This is not something we wish to see happen!" The king was steadily turning a shade of red to rival Van's shirt and, while he was angry, he was _panicking_. Van could see the look in the man's eyes; his youngest daughter, the Princess, had been taken prisoner during a raid that the king hadn't known of. Of course the king would be frantic.

'_Zaibach is probably sticking pins in his rear…_' he thought humorlessly. "Your majesty," he began calmly, "The Princess will be safe…"

"Is that all you have to say?"

"No."

"Van," Allen bit out quietly, glaring at him from the side, "Keep yourself in check…"

"Your majesty, the danger Zaibach is presenting has grown, regardless of what actions we've taken. Asturia was in danger the moment myself and the Escaflowne entered this country, was it not? And yet you still chose to hide it from Zaibach. You could've easily allowed them to take it without so much of a fight."

"Van!" Allen hissed vehemently, yet a heavy sigh broke the blond knight from his train of thought.

"I see…so…you mean to say it's not unlike throwing a piece of paper into a raging wildfire?"

"Precisely," Van said softly, "Make no mistake, Millerna is safe and will remain so. Negotiations for her release will be handled well…and you can use the Escaflowne as a bargaining chip."

"At present time," the king finally began again, "It would be unwise for such a thing…I would ask that, prior to these negotiations, you leave the capital city and take refuge on the outskirts of our kingdom."

"Your majesty?" Allen questioned, eyes slightly wide at what he was hearing. "You mean to throw them off your trails?"

"As best as possible. Do not speak of where you go and do not make a scene. I do not wish to know where you go."

Sensing the dismissal, both men bowed before retreating from the room, tense but still…they felt a smidgeon of relief. Sure, getting both girls caught hadn't been the plan, but damn if this didn't work out well. As long as nothing happened to Hitomi during the negotiations, they would be fine.

"Do you believe Millerna got herself caught on purpose?" Van asked quietly as they retreated from the throne room.

"I do," Allen replied bluntly, eyes trained forward and face set blank. "She may be foolish, but there are some things you just can't pull over her eyes. She knew Merle would sneak onto the ship; why else would we truly allow the feline on? She also knew that we would need a heavier bargaining chip than just a simple house cat…"

"Watch it," Van said halfheartedly; he would've defended Merle more, truly he would have, but he was so exhausted and Allen did have a point…

"Forgive me," Allen replied quietly, "I think this whole situation is proving to be quite taxing…more so than we imagined."

"I know…I feel so exhausted even though we've been doing nothing but rest." Van stopped, his posture slightly slumped, and ran a hand through his head. He shook his skull, trying to jumpstart his mind into something more than tired. "We can't think like this," he said forcefully, "Millerna and Merle might be on the Vione too, but Hitomi is still the one in the most danger! We don't know what they could be doing to her…"

"So…shall we start planning our next move somewhere more secluded?"

"I think it'd be best…" Van muttered, glancing back around them almost in paranoia. "Who knows who could be lurking about…"

* * *

She swore her heart would give her away in the massive hallway if her frantic lost appearance wouldn't. Heart pounding in her chest like a jackhammer that wouldn't slow, Hitomi cautiously stepped forward again, slinking along the wall barefoot, to peer around the corner. No one, still.

The next day, General Adelphos would be arriving which left the majority of the fortress running around scrubbing this, or practicing that. Dilandau had been kept busy but only at the cost of losing the constant protecting of Folken. All things considered, it wasn't _too _bad, really; she'd manage to sneak by the lazy guard he'd left by his door with no problem at all. The man had fallen asleep as soon as Folken had rounded the corner.

The biggest problem, however, was finding the holding cells Merle and Millerna had been placed in. With her pendant in hand she could probably find them easily, had the lack of a personal effect from either of them, as well as the paranoia and fear she was experiencing, not been interfering with the dowsing. With no personal item she would have to concentrate even more and keeping herself calm long enough to do that was becoming harder and harder.

'_Please, heart…just calm down long enough for me to find them!' _She silently begged, looking around the hall and ducking into a shadowed doorway. Pressing her ear tightly to it and plugging the other, she listened for any sign of life on the other side. Careful, tense moments slid by before she was assured there was nothing living within the room. Taking another deep breath and holding it, she strained her hearing for any signs of approaching footsteps. It took a few moments to calm her heart enough to let the breath out in a slow and controlled movement, but once she had settled enough into the thought that, for the moment, she was safe, she began dowsing.

Focusing on Merle was by far the easiest; she'd been around the little cat long enough to get a good enough feel of her vibration so the pendant, clutched tightly by the chain in her hand, didn't take long to begin a slow swaying. Striped tail, really short dress, fluffy pom-poms on her shoulders, ridiculous cat ears and bubblegum pink hair…that sly look on her face as she stole all the rest of Hitomi's snacks…

'_Focus more on her being annoying out of care; like a little sister desperately wanting the attention of her older siblings,' _she rectified herself. If she began thinking on the bad qualities that did more than just annoy her, Hitomi would lose sight of what was important.

Slowly swaying in her mind, and in her hand, Hitomi concentrated on the young feline's image in her mind. Swaying, back and forth and then around and around, the female jumped slightly when it pointed the other way. Peeking her eyes open and peering, she found she'd have to backtrack to the beginning and take the right, meaning she should've just skipped this hall altogether…

'_Oh, well, at least I had a safe place to do this,' _Hitomi said, steeling herself and hurrying down the hall again. Hurrying along with the quiet slapping of her feet on steel, Hitomi prayed that she'd be able to get to the two females with no problem. She wasn't sure what would happen to her, but she knew in her gut Dilandau would look for any excuse to punish her; sneaking out of Folken's room to speak to a prisoner didn't seem like such a big thing, but to _him_…well, she didn't want to dwell too long on those thoughts.

Once again with her back pressed to the wall, Hitomi peered cautiously down a dark hall, her pendant pointing to the inky darkness. Incapable of telling what was down that hall, Hitomi bit her lip and began forward. If Dilandau were hiding in the shadows she'd be doomed; if not, she might have a chance at succeeding in her mission _and _getting back to Folken's room unnoticed.

Fat chance, but she liked to dream.

The moment she reached the darkest part of the hall, Hitomi felt swallowed. Her heart rate spiked slightly, but stubbornly she held onto her controlled thoughts of the feline she was looking for. Eyes straining for only a moment, she decided to rely first and foremost on her hearing. She'd have to calm the slightly ragged breaths she'd just noticed she'd been taking, but she could do it; hand pressed to the wall, she continued, one step in front of the other.

'_Just a little further…I can feel it; I'm almost there!' _


End file.
